An illegal alien was arrested and charged by police in Nebraska for allegedly crashing into a motorcyclist and then running over the victim in an attempt to flee the scene and escape arrest.
Luis Velasquez-Ortiz was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, and slapped with a two million dollar bond after the courts deemed him a flight risk, the Daily Mail reported.
“The state would suggest that he’s a high flight risk,” said Douglas County attorney Jameson Cantwell during the court appearance. “He is here illegally, from Guatemala. He avoided police after this incident. When he was located and arrested, he was found with fraudulent state, federal and international identification documents.”
Police said the 42-year-old, who has been living in the U.S. illegally for 15 years, slammed his Ford Explorer into the motorcyclist on April 11 and then tried to drive away from the scene.
Velasquez-Ortiz reportedly dragged and then ran over the victim, 31-year-old Juan J. Moreno-Tamayo.
“The motorcycle and the victim ended up underneath the defendant’s Ford vehicle,” Cantwell said in court, adding, “The defendant then accelerated and drove over the victim and the motorcycle, fleeing the scene.”
The motorcyclist died at the scene from the injuries, police said. Moreno-Tamayo was a husband and father of four children.
Velasquez-Ortiz was arrested the next day at his home because a witness wrote down his license plate number and gave it to police.
The suspect has a criminal record, which includes a past conviction for drunk driving and various drug offenses.
Velasquez-Ortiz’s employer said he was not aware his employee was an illegal alien but insisted the company does check immigration status before hiring.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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