A professional ballroom dancer has been arrested after crashing into a female motorcyclist before fleeing with his mangled motorcycle underneath her vehicle, police say.
Rebekah Makenzie Tate, 23, has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash Sunday that left the cyclist with “life-threatening” injuries in West Melbourne, a coastal city in central Florida.
The harpist and pianist was driving her silver SUV east on U.S. 192 when she collided with a 34-year-old man riding a motorcycle at an intersection at Dairy Road, according to police.
“The force of the crash caused the rider’s helmet to become detached, leaving him in the middle of the road with life-threatening injuries,” according to the West Melbourne Police Department.
Police said Tate, whose Instagram is filled with photos of her dancing and playing the harp, drove off with the man’s bike still tangled to the underside of her car.
Rebekah Makenzie Tate, 23, was arrested Wednesday after allegedly hitting a motorcyclist with her car and dragging his motorcycle as she fled the scene.
Police say it was Tate’s SUV with the motorcycle tangled underneath. She abandoned her car outside a Hyundai dealership and was picked up in a sedan, according to court documents.
The dancer then pulled into a Hyundai dealership parking lot, still with the motorcycle attached to the front of her vehicle, court records show.
At one point, he even tried to free the bike from his car, according to a police report.
She apparently gave up and was later seen talking on the phone. Shortly after, she was picked up in a black sedan.
It is unclear who picked her up, but her escape from the law did not last long.
Tate was arrested Wednesday and booked into Brevard County Jail, where she remains behind bars.
He was charged with two felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury and tampering with evidence.
Tate has pleaded not guilty and will be tried before a jury.
Judge Kelly Ingram set Tate’s cash bail at $15,000 and $2,500 for each charge, respectively. He also has the option of posting bail with a surety bond.
Tate appears playing the harp in a video on her Instagram page.
A woman who claims to be the victim’s mother said she has “no sympathy” for Tate and hopes to “see her pay for what she did.”
The man Tate allegedly hit with his car was not identified in court documents, but a woman who says she is his mother has spoken out.
“I am the mother of the victim and I could care less about her circumstances. She left my son to die in the middle of the road,” Ari Myrback wrote in a comment below the West Melbourne Police Department’s Facebook post about the case.
He also revealed the extent of his son’s injuries.
‘My son was in the ICU on a ventilator. It will take him six months to a year, if not longer, to walk normally again, IF he ever does.
“I have no sympathy for this woman and I hope to see her pay for what she did to my son,” Myrback wrote.
DailyMail.com has contacted Myrback for comment.
Billy LeBlanc, pictured, was at the scene of the accident because he had been out delivering DoorDash orders that night. He provided aid to the motorcyclist who was hit by the crash.
LeBlanc said Tate, pictured above in court, should have called 911 “at the very least.”
Billy LeBlanc was at the scene of the accident because he was delivering DoorDash orders that night. Click on Orlando reported.
He was the first person to rush to help save the motorcyclist’s life.
“He was motionless, face down on the ground. When I got closer, I saw there was a helmet on the road and debris everywhere,” LeBlanc said.
He added that he saw “no motorcycle” or “no car,” leading him to believe that “it was obviously a hit-and-run.”
LeBlanc couldn’t believe someone had left the man there thinking he was dead, but luckily she was there to perform CPR until paramedics arrived.
“It’s sad, she was obviously scared,” LeBlanc said, referring to Tate. “But she still calls 911 at the very least. I’m glad I was there at the right time and was able to help him.”
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