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Days after the hit-and-run, concerned community members held a rally at the site of the incident, toting signs imploring drivers to “Slow down on Woodhaven Blvd.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
An Ozone Park man has pleaded guilty in the July 2019 hit-and-run death of a man in Woodhaven, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday.
David Garcia, 28, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the second degree on Thursday. Garcia’s sentencing date has been set for Aug. 3, at which time he faces 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison.
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“The destination for this defendant—who selfishly chose to disobey the rules of the road with fatal, tragic consequences—is now prison,” DA Katz said.
According to the charges, Garcia was driving a 2019 black BMW southbound on Woodhaven Boulevard in Woodhaven just before 5 a.m. on July 25, 2019. Garcia hit speeds as high as 92 mph and drove through the intersection at 91st Avenue as the light turned red.
According to court records, Richmond Hill resident Sivananaintha “Shiva” Perumal, 54, was walking across the boulevard on his way to his morning shift at Dunkin’ Donuts just as Garcia was approaching the intersection. Garcia slammed into Perumal, then dragged the man’s body nearly 300 feet before peeling away in his vehicle.
Perumal was pronounced dead at the scene. Garcia was apprehended two weeks later.
“The destination for this defendant—who selfishly chose to disobey the rules of the road with fatal, tragic consequences—is now prison. He was driving at speeds of more than 90 mph in a 30 mph zone, drove through a red light, struck the victim and then fled the scene. The victim—a husband and father of three—was simply crossing Woodhaven Boulevard on his way to work,” Katz said.
