Milwaukee man charged in hit-and-run that killed 2 brothers on city's south side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man is now charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed two brothers on the city's south side Sunday morning, May 5.

Luis Perez-Garcia, 33, is charged with two counts hit and run - resulting in death and two counts knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license - causing death.

Officers responded to the scene near 20^th and Lincoln around 2:45 a.m. and found both victims deceased. They were identified by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office as 41-year-old Ausberto Pascual Gutierrez Ponce and 39-year-old Michael Gutierrez.

According to a criminal complaint, detectives spoke with a witness who stated that she had been out at a bar when one of the victims asked her for a ride home. She said she and the man drove together to 20^th and Lincoln where she double parked in the bicycle lane to let him out.

As he got out and walked around the front of her car toward the driver's side, the complaint says she saw the victim's brother approach him to talk. The witness said as she began to open her driver's door to get out, a vehicle driving eastbound on W. Lincoln Avenue at a high rate of speed struck both victims and the woman's car before driving off. 

Officers took Perez-Garcia into custody after reviewing surveillance video and locating debris from the striking vehicle that matched a 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse. Police located a Traverse with heavy damage near Perez-Garcia's home. 

Detectives interviewed Perez-Garcia, who reportedly admitted to causing the collision and leaving the scene. The complaint says he told investigators that shortly before the incident he had been at a bar, where he drank eight 12-ounce cans of Modelo and was "buzzed."

Officers reviewed Wisconsin DOT records which show that Perez-Garcia has never been issued a driver's license.

An initial court appearance was scheduled for May 9.