Roberto Deleon Obituary, Death; – A 41-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in connection to a hit-and-run near 35th Street and National Avenue on May 10 that resulted in the death of 90-year-old Roberto Deleon.
According to the criminal complaint, the Milwaukee Police Department received multiple 911 calls around 9:41 p.m. for someone who was struck by a car. The criminal complaint and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner later identified the victim to be Deleon.
One of the 911 callers reported that the striking car drove away from the scene. Another caller said she was inside of the striking car and the driver would not stop, so she had to jump out of the car. The responding officer saw that Deleon was lying unconscious in the street and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts by the Milwaukee Fire Department, Deleon was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy revealed that Deleon unfortunately suffered multiple blunt force injuries, including lacerations to the head, fractures to the ribs, vertebrae and tibia, along with injuries to his elbow, wrists and left lower leg.
The woman who told dispatchers that she was a passenger inside the striking vehicle and had to jump out of it provided a statement to police as well. According to the complaint, the woman said in her statement that 41-year-old Raul Herrera was driving the striking car.
She identified him to police by using a photo. She said that she was with Herrera and another man, whom she only knew by a nickname. The three of them tried to go to a Mexican restaurant downtown in a red 2003 Ford Mustang convertible with a tan top, which belonged to a friend of hers. The restaurant was so busy, though, that they decided to go to a pub for some drinks and food on North Avenue around 8:45 p.m. Herrera was driving the entire night and stopped at a Deli on Farwell Avenue on their way back to buy a bottle of vodka and some beer. They also stopped at an auto body shop on their way back. The woman said Herrera was driving very fast and recklessly.
The woman told Herrera about his driving, and he then swore at her and told her to shut up. She eventually looked at her phone while in the backseat of the car, which is when Deleon was struck. The woman tried to get Herrera to stop, so they could check on Deleon, but Herrera kept driving. She then yelled at him to let her out. When the car eventually slowed down at a corner, the woman then jumped out of the car to call 911 and check on Deleon until the fire department arrived. Herrera kept driving away.
Along with identifying Herrera and the car that struck Deleon, the woman also helped police find him. She did not know exactly where the friend they were driving with lived, but knew he lived near 81st and Lapham Streets in West Allis.
Milwaukee police officers then went to the area and found the red 2003 Ford Mustang in a parking lot nearby. The Mustang also had a huge hole in the driver’s side of the windshield.
An officer also saw Herrera walking away from the vehicle and dropping a beer can, according to the complaint. He was also carrying an open case of beer and car keys. Those keys were later determined to be for the 2003 Ford Mustang. The officer also saw that Herrera was covered in glass dust and shards. He also had small cuts on the top of his right hand. Lastly, the officer touched the hood of the car, which was still hot, indicating that it had just been driven. Another man was walking with Herrera away from the car.
Another report from the complaint mentioned that an officer looked into the driver’s side of the car and saw glass from the windshield on the floorboard with what looked like hair on it. There was also what appeared to be some blood on the roof and trunk lid.
Police also got a statement from the man who was walking away from the car with Herrera. According to the complaint, the man told police that he had known Herrera for about a year and a half and was with him and the woman when they were grabbing drinks. He also told officers that Herrera struck someone, and they drove away to his home. Herrera told him that he was scared and didn’t want to go to jail. He also said Herrera was drinking beer while driving and smoked marijuana beforehand.
Herrera is facing a felony charge for hit-and-run, resulting in death.
