A Brazilian race car driver is facing DUI manslaughter charges in a crash Thursday that killed a pedestrian in Miami Beach.
The 20-year old Brazilian national was in a Miami-Dade courtroom Friday, where a judge set his bond at $250,000.
$250,000 is a bit high for this charge but due to the fact that the man is a Brazilian national, his home country will not extradite should he manage to flee back to Brazil.
He was released later Friday after posting bond, but he is under house arrest with an ankle monitor and had to surrender his passport.
According to Miami Beach Police, the accused was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV north on Collins Avenue at about 60 mph in a 30 mph zone when his car swerved left and drove up onto the sidewalk at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
A pedestrian was attempting to put his bicycle into a rear door of a four-wheel-drive Toyota, but was struck and killed by the Mercedes, police said.
The Mercedes kept going north on the sidewalk until it stopped just before 40th Street, police said.
Police alleged that the accused showed signs of impairment, such as a flushed face, bloodshot eyes and his breath smelled of alcohol, police said. The accused acknowledged swerving to avoid a vehicle stopped in traffic in front of him, and that he had been drinking earlier, police said.
Police also noted that the accused had “a white powdery substance in his left nostril,” and that they found a small baggie of what appeared to be cocaine near where he was standing. He was later charged with cocaine possession in addition to the other charges.
Eric Matheny can be reached at (305) 504-6655.