Cape Coral police: hit-and-run suspect arrested thanks to good Samaritan

Thanks to a good Samaritan who enacted a little vigilante justice after a hit-and-run driver sped away from a crime scene, police have a suspect in custody.

A mother and her 8-year-old daughter were clipped by a speeding truck and flung into a trailer. A nearby witness saw the whole thing and chased the driver down.

Cape Coral police say the suspect didn’t stay at the scene, but someone saw what happened and helped them make an arrest.

The mother shared a Facebook post thanking the men who helped her and her 8-year-old daughter after they were in the hit-and-run on Friday afternoon.

The pictures show considerable damage to the front of the car. Police say the first driver hit her car so hard it spun out and hit a big trailer.

Kismet Parkway at Andalusia is bustling with lots of trucks and cars, so when AJ Ford heard the screeching brakes just before the crash, he dashed to help.

“Heard the brake squeal and then the big accident, and the guy took off. I first ran over to the car that was with the woman and our little kid,” said Ford. “Then me and another guy ripped the door open, got her out. Then we found out that he had run up into that industrial park over there, so between me, another guy, and then two police officers, we kind of slowly track the guy down.”

The Cape Coral Police Department arrested Carlos Antonio Choc for the hit-and-run and driving without a license.