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| 21-year-old Erick Perez De Leon / PCSO |
Published October 20th, 2025
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Polk County Detectives Issue Arrest Warrant for Guatemalan Man in Violent Hit-and-Run
LAKELAND, FL — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit has issued an arrest warrant for a Guatemalan man accused of fleeing the scene of a brutal hit-and-run crash that left a Lakeland bicyclist critically injured.
Detectives have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Erick Perez De Leon, a Guatemalan national who was in the United States illegally. He is wanted for leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury (first-degree felony)and driving without a valid license resulting in serious bodily injury (second-degree felony).
The crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, on Campbell Road West in Lakeland. According to witness statements and scene evidence, a 28-year-old Lakeland man was riding an electric bicycle westbound inside the fog line when he was struck from behind by a tan Nissan Altima.
Witnesses told deputies the impact knocked the victim to the ground, and the suspect’s vehicle ran over him. The driver, described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, reportedly exited the car, looked at the victim, then got back inside and reversed over him again before fleeing westbound. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition with severe head and facial injuries.
Investigators traced the Altima to a residence on Old Tampa Highway in Lakeland, where they spoke with three men—identified as Dany Perez De Leon (DOB 9/1/2004), Jorge Becerra Perez (DOB 10/17/1986), and Urasis Chilel Perez (DOB 11/2/1982)—all Guatemalan nationals in the country illegally. ICE was contacted, and all three were taken into federal custody.
Detectives later learned that Erick De Leon had boarded a flight from Orlando to Guatemala on Saturday, October 18, where he landed later that day. The suspect vehicle was located at another nearby residence, where the homeowner said “Erick” had asked to park the car overnight. The car was never retrieved. Parts recovered from the crash site matched missing components from the Altima, and biological evidence collected from the vehicle has been sent to FDLE for testing.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd released a statement on the case:
“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.”
Authorities are working with Homeland Security and international partners to locate and extradite the suspect.
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