A man is in custody after fatally striking an 80-year-old pedestrian early Monday near the city’s Allapattah neighborhood, though Miami police say the arrest is not directly related to the deadly crash.
The collision happened before 7 a.m. along Northwest 36th Street near 31st Avenue. Authorities said the elderly pedestrian was attempting to cross the intersection outside of a crosswalk when he was hit by a gray Toyota Corolla traveling westbound.
According to police, the man had already crossed the eastbound lanes and was stepping into the westbound lanes — outside of a designated crosswalk — when he was struck, violating the vehicle’s right of way. The driver remained on the scene and was seen speaking with officers as detectives investigated.
Police identified the driver as 50-year-old Darvin Cardenas Juarez. While authorities said he was not at fault in the crash, he was arrested after officers learned he did not have a valid driver’s license. Instead, he presented a Florida ID card and has never been licensed to drive, according to the arrest report.
The name of the deceased pedestrian has not yet been released, pending notification of his family. A section of Northwest 36th Street was closed off as authorities conducted their investigation.
