Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mariano Gomez-Mendez, 36, was arrested yesterday after allegedly running a red light and hitting another car while impaired and then leaving the scene of the accident. After he reportedly said he’d entered the country five years ago on a three-month work visa and stayed illegally, ICE placed a detainer on him for removal after the charges are resolved.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, at about 12:23 p.m. on August 31, Gomez-Mendez ran a red light at SW 122nd Street while traveling westbound on SW 8th Avenue and hit another car. The other car pulled over, but Gomez-Mendez allegedly drove away and was followed by a witness; Gomez-Mendez pulled over about a mile away from the accident. The driver of the other car involved in the accident reportedly identified Gomez-Mendez’s vehicle as the one that hit him, and the trooper reported that Gomez-Mendez’s vehicle had damage to the front end…