He killed a dad and son in a crash — then stole one of their cars to escape, cops say

Authorities have arrested a man they say plowed into a father and son on the side of the Dolphin Expressway, then stole the car of one of the victims to escape.

Earl Lewis, 32, was booked into a Miami-Dade jail.

He is accused of killing Cesar Eduardo Cepeda, 34, and his father, Jose Eduardo Cepeda Luna, 57. Prosecutors have charged Lewis with leaving the scene of an accident involving deaths and grand-theft auto.

The crash happened on Feb. 9, around 5 a.m., when Cepeda lost control of his pickup truck on the Dolphin Expressway, State Road 836, just east of Florida’s Turnpike. He crashed into a guardrail.

Cepeda was OK. He called his father, who immediately drove to help his son.

As the two were on the side of the expressway, a driver of a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro careened off the road and ran into the two men.

Troopers say that man was Lewis, and he ditched the Camaro, got into Luna’s Chevy Equinox and drove off.

The Chevy was found abandoned near Homestead. DNA in the Chevy matched to Lewis, authorities say.

Lewis’ criminal record includes an arrest in 2009 for attempted murder that was dropped, and convictions for ID fraud and marijuana possession.

This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 9:02 AM with the headline "He killed a dad and son in a crash — then stole one of their cars to escape, cops say."