A man wanted for military desertion accused of causing a rollover crash while fleeing Miami-Dade deputies that killed a Bahamian artist last week is now facing a vehicular homicide charge, authorities said.
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Luis Manuel Perez, 21, is facing charges including vehicular homicide in a reckless manner and fleeing and eluding an officer in the Sept. 2 crash, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials said.
According to an arrest report, a deputy had pulled Perez over near Northwest 51st Terrace and Northwest 32nd Avenue and discovered he had a warrant out for Texas for military desertion.
Perez, who was behind the wheel of a 2019 Ford Mustang, fled when he was ordered to get out of the car, the report said.
As he was fleeing through a residential neighborhood, he ran a stop sign and slammed into another Mustang on Northwest 33rd Avenue, the report said.
Surveillance video from a nearby home showed the suspect’s vehicle running the stop sign before slamming into the other Mustang, causing it to flip over and crash into a third vehicle.
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That third vehicle turned out to be an unmarked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy who was in the area searching for the fleeing suspect.
The driver of the other Mustang was identified as 55-year-old Stefan Davis, a prolific Bahamian artist known for his airbrushing, among other techniques.
He died from his injuries at a local hospital.
According to the arrest report, Perez told investigators that he told himself “I’m not going to jail today” before he fled.
A U.S. Army spokesperson confirmed Perez had a warrant for military desertion that was issued in February.
Perez remains behind bars, Miami-Dade jail records showed. Attorney information wasn’t available.
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