South Daytona, FL - Police in South Daytona have arrested the man they say fled the scene after hitting and killing a bicyclist with a vehicle.
It was around 2:48 AM on July 15 when a Volusia County Sheriff's Office Sergeant found the victim in a grassy area off of US-1. The victim's bicycle was in the median of the roadway. Investigators picked up car parts from the scene and determined that they were from a dark gray 2015 - 2017 Hyundai Sonata. Local car rental agencies were notified and were asked to put out a "be on the lookout" for that kind of car.
On July 18 the South Daytona Police Department was called by the Daytona Beach Enterprise Car Rental because a car had been returned with damages matching the description from Saturday's hit-and-run. After the car was examined, investigators reached out to the driver, Eugene Carwise, 38, from Daytona Beach.
Carwise told investigators that he left a bar or club in Holly Hill on the morning of the crash and drove to Port Orange. He said he may have hit a curb while driving in South Daytona. Once he got to his destination, Carwise went to sleep. When he woke up he saw his rental car was heavily damaged. He told investigators he didn't call the police, just his insurance company. Investigators checked traffic tag readers and found that the timeline matched the one given by Carwise.
The rental car involved had damage consistent with a human head hitting the windshield and frame, and the headlights appeared to have human hair imbedded in them.
Carwise was arrested and is facing a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving a fatality.
Carwise's mugshot courtesy the Volusia County Jail.
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