A father of two was intentionally run down in Brooklyn following a dispute that turned deadly, police said, and the driver who hit him never stopped. Now the victim's family has a message for the accused killer, who is still on the run.
The incident occurred just after noon on Friday at Keap Street and South 5th Street in Williamsburg, according to police. Surveillance video obtained by NBC New York shows what police said was an argument between the victim, Jesus Perez, and the driver inside a gray Honda CRV in the middle of the street.
Perez and others continued arguing for a matter of seconds before the suspect threw the SUV into reverse and ran right over the victim, police said. It wasn't clear what sparked the argument. The driver then raced away as others raced to help the victim, Perez.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
A short time later, police found the abandoned SUV several blocks away at Meserole Street and Humboldt Street. The side and quarter panels of the vehicle were bent and mangled — evidence of the deadly confrontation.
Perez's family said he was pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital. Family said he would have turned 50 in June if not for the deadly incident just a few blocks from his home.
"There was six of us, so breaking off a piece is taking a piece off a jigsaw puzzle that can’t be replaced," said Albert Perez, the victim's older brother. "I went into like vertigo. It felt like I was spinning and the one thing that came to mind was my mom."
Perez's mother was inconsolable after the death of her son, an artist who was born and raised in Williamsburg. Those who knew him said his positivity, generosity and street tags will live on.
"People will most likely preserve them, they won’t destroy them. I’ll see these tags for a long long time," said Albert Perez.
His brother had one message for whomever was behind the wheel of the SUV.
"Remember, God is going to take care of you, even if you don't turn yourself in. I have no animosity for anyone — there's this thing, 'what goes around comes around.' You got family too," said Perez.
Police sources told NBC New York that witnesses last saw the suspect Friday afternoon running toward the Bushwick Houses. He has yet to be caught, and no arrests have been made.
