Lakeland, FL – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit has issued an arrest warrant for Erick Perez De Leon, a 21-year-old Guatemalan man, charged with leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, and operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license with serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
On October 9, 2025, at approximately 5:15 p.m., a 28-year-old Lakeland man riding an electric bicycle westbound on Campbell Road West was struck from behind by a tan Nissan Altima. According to witnesses, the victim was knocked off his bicycle, run over by the vehicle, and then struck again when the driver, described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, reversed over him before fleeing westbound. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition with severe facial and brain injuries.
Witnesses provided a vehicle description and partial tag number, leading detectives to identify the vehicle as one driven by Erick Perez De Leon, who resides on Old Tampa Highway in Lakeland. Detectives visited the residence and encountered three men—Dany Perez De Leon (DOB 9/1/2004), Jorge Becerra Perez (DOB 10/17/1986), and Urasis Chilel Perez (DOB 11/2/1982)—all of whom were confirmed to be in the United States illegally from Guatemala. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted, and the three men were taken into custody.
Investigators learned that Erick Perez De Leon, also in the country illegally, boarded a flight from Orlando to Guatemala on October 18, 2025, landing that afternoon. The suspect vehicle was located at a nearby residence, where the homeowner reported that an individual known as “Erick” had asked to park the car there overnight but did not return. The vehicle was towed and processed, with parts matching those found at the crash scene. Biological evidence collected from the vehicle was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis.
Sheriff Grady Judd stated, “If this suspect had not been in the country illegally, the victim would not currently be in the hospital with multiple critical facial and brain injuries. We will seek justice for this victim and his family, and work with the proper authorities to bring Erick De Leon back here to face his felony charges.”
