Quantcast

Suspect Arrested in Cabby's Hit-and-Run Death

The driver who ran over cab driver Mohamed Elwaleed after an early Tuesday morning argument was arrested in Pennsylvania yesterday. Luis Flores, 24, told authorities he didn't mean to kill the cab driver, and authorities believe him.

Flores, while driving his cousin's Nissan Altima, had apparently gotten into an accident with Elwaleed, a 44-year-old Sudanese immigrant. Elwaleed followed Flores for a few blocks, in hopes of trading insurance information. At Madison Avenue and East 65th in Manhattan, Elwaleed got out of his cab and approached Flores. Flores' godfather William Ales said that his godson panicked because "he did not know what [Elwaleed] could have been carrying," trying to swerve away from Elwaleed but ended up driving over him. Flores and his female passenger abandoned the car at the intersection and fled on foot.

Flores left New York and the police tracked him down to East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. He was transported back to the city last night and will face charges of manslaughter, assault and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Elwaleed's wife and two young sons are getting ready for his funeral in Sudan. Friends and family say that his widow still believes he will walk back through the door.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

  • kane

    "Flores' godfather William Ales said that his godson panicked because "he did not know what [Elwaleed] could have been carrying," trying to swerve away from Elwaleed but ended up driving over him."



    Looks like they're taking a play out of Ray Kelly's book on this one.

  • Peter

    Smart decision to leave the scene of the accident with your car still there and license plates still on.



    The average criminal has an I.Q. score of 85, so things like this are not as surprising as they might seem.

  • drewo

    Luis Flores, 24, told authorities he didn't mean to kill the cab driver, and authorities believe him.



    The beauty of the automobile as murder weapon - the murderer can always claim it was an "accident".

  • Steven

    Smart decision to leave the scene of the accident with your car still there and license plates still on.

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@gothamist.com