86-year-old charged in hit-and-run death of Safety Harbor cyclist

Police have arrested an 86-year-old Clearwater man in connection with the death of a bicyclist in Safety Harbor Thursday.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s investigators charged Timothy Rush Saturday with leaving the scene of an accident involving death. He was booked into the county jail Saturday morning and released on bond that evening.

The crash happened around 9 p.m. Thursday, when Pinellas deputies responded to 3180 Enterprise Road, where bicyclist Mindy Miran Ey, 36, was found injured on the side of the road. Police said he was driving westbound on Enterprise when a westbound vehicle struck the rear of his bike. He was taken to hospital where he died on Friday.

After police sought tips from anyone with information about the crash, an investigator received a voicemail from Rush requesting a return call. Police were unable to reach Rush by phone, but discovered he was in Safety Harbor Saturday, leaving a Knights of Columbus meeting there at 8:45 p.m.

A search warrant found evidence of damage to the passenger-side of Rush’s Buick Enclave with purple markings on the bumper matching the color of Yi’s bike.

Deputies with the Sheriff’s Major Accident Investigation Team are still investigating the incident.

About a quarter of all traffic crashes are believed to be hit-and-run cases, the Tampa Bay Times previously reported Report.