A man’s body was found pinned underneath a car Saturday in the parking lot of a shopping complex in Daytona Beach.
- Passerby and her family found the body Sunday morning
- Police say victim's car involved in hit-and-run on Saturday
Police were called just before noon to the scene on International Speedway Boulevard behind a Hobby Lobby. A passerby with her family discovered the body while in the parking lot.
"When he comes back up and turns around, my husband says 'Honey, turn around I think somebody's leg was sticking out the front,'" said resident Lori Lawhorn. "So he stopped, he gets out and hollers at him about four times and he didn't answer, so I called the police."
When officers arrived, they found a man’s body pinned underneath a car. Police say it appears the man was trying to repair the damaged vehicle, but became pinned when the car hinged forward.
Police now believe this same man's green car was involved in a hit and run around 8 p.m. Saturday night on Beville Road before ending up behind the shopping plaza.
"It looks as if he was working on the car and the car must've lurched forward and pinned him underneath, and there's heavy damage on the passenger side," said Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood. "Whatever he hit in the hit and run must've caused something must've been wrong with under the carriage of the car that caused him to get back here, get out get underneath to free it."
Detectives are still sorting out the details of the hit-and-run incident, but a witness reportedly said the victim's car was involved. Chitwood went on to say that detectives believe the man's body had been at the location for about 12 hours.
The scene cleared shortly after 3 p.m. Investigators plan to check footage from area security cameras in order to better piece together what happened between Saturday night and Sunday morning.