A 42-year-old Lakeland man faces multiple charges in Miami-Dade County after police say he killed two tourists crossing the street in Miami Beach during a hit-and-run Wednesday night. Investigators said a witness chased driver Adan Negron-Morris to a pharmacy and held him until police arrived. Miami Beach Police Department officials reported that Sarisa Kongduang, 22, and Greatgomon Laowatdhanasapya, 24, were crossing Collins Avenue at 73rd Street in North Beach shortly after 9:05 p.m. when Negron-Morris, speeding and without lights on, struck them.
“Both pedestrians were thrown into the air and suffered serious bodily injuries when they fell onto the roadway several feet from the point of impact,” the police report states. “The vehicle suffered significant damage to the front and the hood was bent toward the windshield.” Police said Negron-Morris did not stop until his 2013 Nissan Sentra became disabled near 74th Street. Authorities said he then ran toward a Walgreens pharmacy at 7340 Collins Ave., but a witness followed him and “detained” him, pointing him out to officers upon arrival.
Paramedics transported the victims to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Police said they were visiting from Indiana. Police indicated that shortly before the fatal crash, Negron-Morris had been involved in another hit-and-run at 71st Street and Bay Drive in Normandy Isle. They said an officer saw him flee and attempted to pursue him, but lost sight of him moments before he struck the two visitors.
“The justification the driver gave was that he wanted to commit suicide, so he closed his eyes and accelerated,” Miami Beach Police spokesman Christopher Bess said Thursday. “Unfortunately, he didn’t take his own life. He ended up taking two lives.” The incident marks another tragic collision on Collins Avenue, a major thoroughfare that runs through Miami Beach’s tourist corridor. The stretch of Collins Avenue where the crash occurred is known for heavy pedestrian traffic, particularly during evening hours when visitors frequent nearby restaurants and entertainment venues.
Negron-Morris now faces multiple charges related to the deaths of the two Indiana tourists and the earlier hit-and-run incident on Normandy Isle. The Miami Beach Police Department continues its investigation into both crashes. Court records will determine when Negron-Morris will make his first appearance before a Miami-Dade County judge to face the charges stemming from Wednesday night’s deadly collision.