Illegal immigrant charged with DUI after hit-and-run in Walmart parking lot: PCSO

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Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.

MULBERRY, Fla. - Three illegal immigrants from Guatemala have been taken into custody after a drunk driving hit-and-run incident that injured a motorcyclist in Mulberry on Sunday night, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies say that 24-year-old Gudiel Miguel-Vasquez was driving a black Scion sedan near the intersection of Church Avenue North and Carter Road West when he turned into a Walmart parking lot, blew through a stop sign and slammed into the motorcyclist.

After the crash, witnesses at the scene told deputies the driver never stopped to check on the victim and continued through the parking lot with significant front-end damage.

The motorcyclist was taken to a local hospital with a broken arm and a concussion.

Shortly after a dispatch call went out, a deputy spotted the suspected vehicle at a nearby intersection with no front bumper and smoke rising from the engine.

During questioning, Miguel-Vasquez told deputies through a translator that he did not have a driver's license. 

READ: New Florida driver's license exam rules: English requirement now in effect

Dig deeper:

Inside the vehicle, deputies found two passengers and several open cans of Modelo beer. Investigators say all three men seemed drunk, and it was later confirmed that they are all in the U.S. illegally.

The following charges against Miguel-Vasquez have been enhanced by one degree due to his immigration status:

• Leaving the scene of a crash with injury
• DUI with property damage
• DUI
• No valid driver's license

An ICE detainer was placed on Miguel-Vasquez at the Polk County Jail and the two passengers in the car were cited for open container violations and were also taken into custody on civil ICE detainers.

What they're saying:

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd pointed to the suspect's disregard for Florida law.

"Here's another example of someone who is here illegally and with no regard for our laws—driving without a license, driving while impaired, and hitting someone then fleeing," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "We'd like to see him deported back to Guatemala where he can't victimize anyone else here."