ORLANDO, FLORIDA — A truck driver was arrested Saturday night after witnesses say he drove a commercial truck down a narrow residential street in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood during a street party, struck multiple parked vehicles, and fled the scene.
The incident unfolded on McFall Avenue near South Street. Quana and her husband Craig were among those attending the street party when the commotion began. “We were having a good time, and next thing you know, we heard a bunch of people just screaming like, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop that guy. Catch him! Go get him,'” Quana said.
She captured video of the truck driving past a crowd of people before striking at least one parked vehicle. “We heard him hitting the first car. Then we heard another car. And then we heard more cars. And then by the time I wanted to whip out the camera because he looked like he was not stopping at all,” she said. The driver showed no urgency to stop. “I guess maybe he hit one car and was like, ‘Hey, the heck with this. I need to go. I need to run. I need to flee.’ But he was actually about to hit us in the making,” Quana said.
Orlando police arrested Rakeem Williams, 32, not far from the scene. He faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash and was issued a citation for hit-and-run involving damage. Williams remained in Orange County Jail as of Sunday afternoon.
Craig, a CDL driver of 10 years himself, said the decision to take a commercial truck down such a narrow street was baffling. “Me being a CDL driver of 10 years, I would have never, ever tried to make that turn on a residential street,” he said. “That was a dangerous, serious situation for all of us, honestly,” Quana added.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
