GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A man arrested for a deadly hit-and-run could now face deportation.
Gwinnett police say he tried to hide from them after the crash, as the victim died on a road notorious for crashes.
A memorial still stands on Singleton Road where the Gwinnett County mother died Monday night.
Now, Gwinnett police have arrested Anibal Orlando de Leon, 33, who is charged with felony hit and run, driving without a license, and using a false license plate.
Court documents say de Leon hit the woman with his Toyota Echo during a multicar crash Monday night, then took off.
“When the car hit the other car, one of the cars hit her,” friend Tracey Wiley said.
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He helped set up the memorial for his friend, who died – a woman police identified as Tamera Brown.
Wiley said she was with her teenage daughter at the time.
“By the time I got there, she was already dead, and her daughter was lying over there, but she lived,” Wiley said.
Police say de Leon admitted to swapping his license plate to avoid being pulled over.
Neighbors along the road and friends of the victim say dangerous conditions on Singleton Road make it hard for people to cross safely.
Police say Brown was not in the crosswalk.
“They need to put a light right here, that’s what they need to do,” Wiley said.
As friends mourn, the county said safety upgrades to Singleton Road are coming.
But for some, those changes won’t bring back who they lost.
“Nice person, always laughing, talking, always having fun,” Wiley said.
Police say they were able to track the suspect down at his home and make an arrest.
Safety upgrades are expected to be in place as early as this summer.
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