Driver fled from Margate cops, crashed into a tree and left passenger to die, police say

A 20-year-old man is locked up after police say he fled from Margate cops, crashed into a tree and left a woman to die in his BMW.

Ricky Lavon Lee faces a slew of charges, including vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, jail records show. The Margate resident remained in Broward County’s Joseph V. Conte Facility as of Sunday afternoon after his bond was set at $251,000.

According to his police report, a Margate officer attempted to stop a black BMW with four occupants at the intersection of Southwest 7th Street and South Rock Island Road during the early morning hours of Feb. 6 because the car’s license plate didn’t belong to the vehicle. But when the officer activated the police lights and siren, police say, the driver sped away from the area.

Cops say the officer deactivated the siren and police lights but the driver continued northbound on Rock Island Road, increasing in speed until his car hydroplaned, struck a median and ultimately crashed with a tree at Northwest 1st Street and North Rock Island Road.

Lee then exited the BMW through the sunroof, leaving behind four injured passengers, including a woman, a child who was without a car seat and another adult, according to police.

The woman, who was sitting in the front-passenger seat, was trapped and had to be extricated from the car; however, she was pronounced dead on scene. The child was taken to Broward Health Medical Center with a minor concussion and the other adult, a woman, was transported to Broward Health North with a broken nose, an injured back and a collapsed lung.

Police identified the fatal victim as Markya Kyana Hunt, 21, and NBC 6 reported she was a friend of Lee. Hunt’s daughter, who turned two years old just four days after the crash, is the child injured, police said. A GoFundMe campaign created on Feb. 9 by Hunt’s mother, Natia Johnson, had raised over $3,000 as of Sunday to pay for Hunt’s memorial service.

“None of us can really rest until we can really understand what happened to her,” Hunt’s cousin, Kimesha Pierre, told NBC 6.

Police say one of the passengers confirmed Lee was behind the wheel when the car crashed, and further investigation revealed that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Thursday, and he was arrested the next day, county court records show.

A long history of traffic infractions

Lee was known to the police officer who tried to stop him that morning, according to the report. And county court records show that police have caught him driving without a license several times in recent years.

Here’s the breakdown:

▪ May 2019: Driving Scion without a license in Broward County. Lee was sentenced in 2022 to one day in jail (time served).

▪ Aug. 2019: Driving a Nissan without a driver’s license in Fort Lauderdale. Prosecutors dropped the case.

▪ Nov. 2019: Driving a Toyota without a license in Margate. A judge ordered him to pay around $300 but Lee is currently accumulating late fees.

▪ March 2020: Driving a Nissan without a license in Fort Lauderdale. Prosecutors dropped the case.

▪ Oct. 2021: Driving a Cadillac without a license in Margate. Failed to pay over $450 and debt was sent to collections in 2022.