UPDATE: Allison Faye Huffman, the suspect in this case, has been detained in St. Petersburg. The investigation is ongoing.
Huffman was arrested at The Promenade Apartments at 540 Carillon Pkwy. She visited a friend. That friend called police, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
PREVIOUS STORY: TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)– Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol are searching for a woman who is believed to have been driving a car that hit and killed a Good Samaritan tow truck driver on the Howard Frankland Bridge early Monday morning, then left the scene.
A black 2012 Volkswagen Passat that was involved in the crash was found abandoned Monday morning at the Crown Plaza Hotel near the Westshore Mall in Tampa. Troopers are looking for the driver of the car, who they identified as Allison Faye Huffman, 36, of Riverview.
Huffman is suspected of killing tow truck driver Rogelio Perez-Borroto, 43, around 2:22 a.m. Investigators say he was outside of his truck, which was parked in the outside travel lane of the Howard Frankland bridge when he was hit by Huffman. Perez-Borroto was thrown into the air by the impact of the crash and died at the scene.
He worked for Lou’s Total Car Care Towing and Recovery. Perez-Borroto had been employed at Lou’s for about six months. Owner Lou Morales said Rogelio Perez-Borroto was always polite, always courteous and would come in to work hours early, just to see if he could help out. Sadly, Perez-Borroto’s thoughtfulness put him in the path of a hit-and-run driver.
“It wasn’t even a call that he was assigned. He was just pulling over because he saw somebody stuck on the road,” said Morales.
Investigators say Huffman drove away in the Passat. The car was later found at the Crown Plaza Hotel.
FHP spokesperson Steve Gaskins said that Huffman was last seen at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa using the alias “Beth”.
A spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe of Florida told WFLA News Channel 8 that the Seminole Police Department was contacted by FHP about Huffman. SPD detectives are reviewing the casino’s surveillance video. As of Monday afternoon, detectives say there was no video evidence that Huffman was at the casino on Monday morning.
A relative of Huffman told WFLA News Channel 8 that she has a history of alcoholism and drunk driving. Family members are trying to reach her, but she has turned her phone off. The relative said that Huffman used to work as a hearing aid specialist, but is not employed right now.
Driving records obtained by WFLA show Huffman has been convicted on charges of DUI, she has completed substance abuse treatment, and has completed DUI school twice.
Perez-Borroto’s brother George Perez-Borroto is overwhelmed with grief. The brothers emigrated here from Cuba 20 years ago. He said his brother loved to fish when he wasn’t working and has a 6-year-old daughter who lives in Venezuela.
Perez-Borroto will be missed by many. “He’s more than a great guy he’s an amazing person,” said Perez-Borroto’s boss, Lou Morales, who also has a message for Huffman.
“Turn yourself in. Turn yourself in. Do it now. How would you feel if it was somebody in your family?”
The Florida Highway Patrol is asking anyone with information about the case or Huffman’s location to contact investigators at (813) 631-4020.MORE HERE: Traffic update: Here’s how your Monday morning commute looks
