FHP: Hit-and-run driver distracted by e-cig before killing teen cyclist - Orlando Sentinel
Frankie Alberto Arroyo of Orlando told investigators that he dropped the e-cig in his Dodge Dart while driving westbound on Trevarthon Road on Wednesday. Rakib Chowdhury was riding his bicycle in the westbound lane toward his home on Alvin Street. That's when the blue 2013 Dodge Dart slammed into him, knocking him off the bicycle. When questioned on Thursday, Arroyo — co-owner of the Dodge Dart — told authorities that the damage to his car was caused when he ran into a tree. However, on Friday, he admitted to state troopers that he hit the bicyclist after dropping his e-cig. While riding in the back seat of the state trooper's patrol car, he hung his head to shield himself from media cameras during his transport to Orange County Jail. Meanwhile, family and friends Friday honored the memory of Rakib at an Islamic funeral prayer service, called Janazah, at the Masjid Al-Rahman on North Goldenrod Road near East Colonial Drive. Rakib was returning to his home on Alvin Street about 3:35 p. m. Wednesday because he had a flat bicycle tire. Witnesses said the hit-and-run driver ran over Rakib, backed up momentarily and drove away. After identifying a driver's-side mirror at the scene as that of a blue Dodge Dart, troopers immediately released a photo of the suspect car and searched the area for the vehicle. Source: www.orlandosentinel.com
