Illegal immigrant caught in deadly hit-and-run had history of armed robbery, assault and drugs

A man accused of being the driver in a deadly Maryland hit-and-run is an illegal immigrant who was recently released from federal prison.

Gilver Zelaya-Diaz, 42, was arrested last week in connection to a hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of 26-year-old Jacques Price in Montgomery County Maryland, earlier this month, according to a press release from the Montgomery County Department of Police.

Prosecutors say Zelaya-Diaz, who has as many as eight different aliases, entered the country illegally in 2019, according to a report from NBC 4, while a Montgomery County statement of xharges notes that he had a "history of charges for driving on a suspended license, driving without a license, speeding, armed robbery, second-degree assault, and possessing controlled dangerous substances with an intent to distribute."

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He was released from federal prison in July 2023, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records, and was on probation at the time of the incident, the NBC 4 report notes.

Price, who was a father and uncle, was riding a skateboard at the time he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene, according to the statement of charges. Zelaya-Diaz was able to elude officers for over a week, but was arrested after investigators used license plate databases and vehicle records to narrow the search to his vehicle.

Noting his criminal history and the fact that Zelaya-Diaz had failed to appear at five previous court dates, prosecutors asked that he be held until trial. He remains in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional facility, public records show.

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The work of police to track down Zelaya-Diaz was praised by Price's father, Marcus Glivings, who told NBC 4 that Zelaya-Diaz is a "bad guy."

"It doesn’t change things, but we are grateful he was apprehended," he said.

Meanwhile, a memorial remains at the scene of the crash, where Price’s neighbor nailed a white skateboard to a telephone poll with the date the father was killed.

"Ever since it happened, I think the very next day, one of the neighbors nailed that skateboard up there and then flowers and candles and pictures," Glivings said. "He didn’t deserve it, he didn’t deserve it. He was minding his own business."

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