Already behind bars, man arrested after fatal causeway crash now faces more charges
A Miami Beach man arrested earlier this month after a crash left a woman dead and several others injured is facing more charges.
Dionicio Enrique Castro, 30, was charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI with serious injury and driving without a license. On Feb. 8, Castro was heading eastbound on the 79th Street Causeway in a black Mazda SUV when he struck a median, landed on the westbound lanes and skidded about 20 feet before ramming into a gray Nissan sedan, Miami police say.
READ MORE: Driver arrested after deadly Miami causeway crash. See what cops found inside his SUV
Three women in the sedan, ages 48, 39 and 19, were taken to the Ryder Trauma Center, where the 39-year-old front passenger died hours later, police say. Castro was also hospitalized — and arrested hours — after the wreck.
Police say Castro’s car housed a loaded semi-automatic handgun, more than 20 grams of marijuana and a small scale used to weigh drugs. At the hospital, staff found a small baggie with cocaine in his wallet and another with Ecstasy in his pockets, police said.
Castro was accused of an armed robbery that occurred the day before the crash. He also had an active bench warrant in connection with a June 2022 theft.
The armed robbery charge stems from an incident that Miami Beach police say happened on Feb. 7: It began when Castro went to two bars with a man, who later asked him for a ride home. Castro agreed, and the victim — and his friend — got into the Mazda SUV.
READ MORE: Man arrested after fatal Miami crash carried out armed robbery a day earlier, cops say
When Castro pulled up to the area of the 1200 block of Marseille Drive, the victim tried to get out of the SUV, and that’s when Castro demanded the victim’s wallet, police say.
Police say that Castro pulled out a firearm and hit the victim after he refused to hand over his wallet. The victim, fearing for his life, then followed Castro’s orders, giving him the wallet, which was filled with $1,200 in fake bills, cops say.
While reviewing camera footage from the area, police noticed Castro’s Mazda and determined it to be the same SUV involved in the fatal crash on the following day. The robbery victim also identified Castro in a photo lineup, police say.
As of Sunday, Castro is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Omar Rodriguez Ortiz contributed to this report
