A Florida ballroom dancer allegedly struck a motorcyclist and drove away with the bike attached to her car, according to police.
According to social media, Rebekah Mackenzie Tate is a 23-year-old professional ballroom dancer, harpist, and pianist.
In West Melbourne, Florida, a woman from Florida was apprehended for a hit-and-run offense after she collided with a motorcyclist, as per the police report.
On Sunday morning, a 23-year-old woman named Rebekah Mackenzie Tate allegedly struck a 34-year-old motorcyclist so forcefully that his helmet was dislodged, leaving him in the roadway.
Tate, a professional ballroom dancer, harpist, and pianist, was charged with causing a crash resulting in great bodily harm and tampering with evidence in a criminal proceeding, according to jail records.
The West Melbourne Police Department stated in a news release that instead of staying at the scene or calling 911, Tate left with the motorcycle still attached to the front of her vehicle while driving away.
Police said that she was seen on surveillance video attempting to remove the motorcycle from under her car in a parking lot before being picked up by someone in another car.
On Wednesday, she was arrested and placed in the Brevard County Jail with a $17,500 bond. By Friday, she had been released on bail while awaiting trial.
Tate pleaded not guilty on Thursday, according to the New York Post.
A woman claiming to be the victim's mother left a comment on the police department's Facebook post regarding the arrest.
"She left my son to die on the road and has been caught on video tampering with evidence. My son was in the ICU on a ventilator."
She stated that it could take her son six months to a year to walk normally again if he ever does. I have no sympathy for this woman and eagerly anticipate her paying for the harm she caused my son.
A DoorDash driver named Billy LeBlanc assisted the victim in the road until paramedics arrived after an accident.
"Although I wouldn't wish that on anyone, I'm glad I was there to help him," LeBlanc said to the station. "I'm glad they caught her."
He stated to WKMG-TV, "I hope that anyone would act similarly if they encountered a situation like that, and I believe most individuals would. It's simply disheartening that someone would abandon them in such a manner. Motionless and without assistance."
After hitting the victim, Tate was visibly frightened, but she should have contacted emergency services.
""I'm glad I was able to help him and I'm glad he's alive because he's a strong guy, obviously, as she hit him hard," LeBlanc said."
He informed WKMG that he repeatedly reassured the victim, saying, "Stay strong. I was telling him, 'Hang in there. The ambulance is on the way. Just be strong, man.' He's fighting."
FOX 35 identified the victim as John Powell, citing friends.
Powell's friend Leah Lindstrand was incredulous.
"She abandoned him to die. How could you do that?" she asked FOX 35. "He has two broken legs, one on each side, and multiple rib fractures. It was heartbreaking to see him in that condition, but he's recovering well."
Powell was out of the ICU by Thursday, FOX 35 reported.
Tate is expected back in court Oct. 1.
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