:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/IITOSXOBYJGSHFJ4CV6PB3BM5Q.JPG "Suspected driver in Polk County hit & run that killed 9-year-old boy arrested – WFTV")
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The suspected driver in a hit-and-run crash that left a nine-year-old boy dead has been arrested, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday.
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They identified the suspect as 45-year-old Gilbert Almaguer of Bowling Green.
The crash happened around 5 p.m. Friday evening on Hutchins Road in Fort Meade.
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During a press conference, Sheriff Grady Judd said the boy, identified as Andres Martinez, was riding his bicycle to a friend’s house when the driver of a red four-door Chevrolet Silverado struck and killed him. The truck driver then fled the crash site.
According to Almaguer’s arrest report, parts of the truck were recovered at the scene. Deputies also reviewed video that showed no other vehicles in the area at the time.
Later that night, deputies say Almaguer called the Hardee County Sheriff’s office and claimed he was a passenger in the truck that hit and killed Martinez.
According to the report, Polk County Traffic Homicide Unit deputies responded to Almaguer’s Bowling Green home where they found the suspect truck enclosed in crime scene tape.
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The arrest report says Almaguer initially tried to claim a man named Hector Ramirez was driving his truck when the crash happened then drove to Bowling Green and got out of the truck, at which point Almaguer got into the driver’s seat and drove home.
A short time after the initial interview, Almaguer approached a deputy still investigating near his home and admitted that he was driving the truck and hit the child.
The deputy noted Almaguer said he was sorry and that he just got scared.
According to the report, Almaguer tried to claim Martinez “came out of nowhere” and that he didn’t mean to hit the boy. He also confirmed there was no one else in the truck with him.
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The report says Almaguer called the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office after he saw a report about the crash on Facebook saying that a nine-year-old boy had died.
Almaguer was booked into the Hardee County jail late Friday night and will be transferred to Polk County at a later date.
He faces a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death without rendering aid, a first-degree felony.
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