Background: News footage of Just Stop Tires in Mascotte, Fla. (WESH). Inset (left): Ashley Tyer (Instagram). Inset (right): Brandon Charles Gregory Lewis (Marcotte Police Department).
A Florida man was arrested after police said he ran over a tire shop employee who tried to stop him from leaving the shop without paying.
Brandon Charles Gregory Lewis, 33, was charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the death of 40-year-old Ashley Tyer. Tyer died on March 21 after being injured in a hit-and-run incident that took place at Just Stop Tires, where she worked for seven years. According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Lewis got his tires replaced at the shop on March 16 then attempted to leave without paying the $95 he owed for the service.
Police said Lewis removed the jacks from his car then backed up into another shop employee. Lewis then allegedly drove into Tyer, who tried to stop him from leaving and rolled onto the hood before being flung off.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the Mascotte Police Department responded to Just Stop Tires at 3:48 p.m. on March 16 after several witnesses and shop employees called for help after Tyer was struck by a vehicle. Police said Lewis brought his black Hyundai Equus to the shop and had his tires replaced. Shop employee James Kelly told police that after the work was completed, Lewis and a woman he was with got into the vehicle and attempted to leave without paying.
Kelly told local NBC affiliate WESH that he saw Lewis “letting the jack down” and figured he would not get far. “We have the tag. We have the car. We have his name. We have everything.”
Another employee, Timothy Watson, told police that as Lewis tried to drive away, he first allegedly backed into Watson before backing out of the parking lot and into the road. When Lewis got out into the road, his vehicle stalled. Police said that was when Tyer, Watson, and Kelly all approached Lewis” vehicle to try to keep him from driving away.
Police wrote that Lewis got out of his stalled car and told the three employees, “[Y]ou broke my car.” He then went back to get something from his trunk before getting back into the driver’s seat. At the same time, Watson and Kelly took note of Lewis’ license plate number and contacted police.
After Lewis got back into the driver’s seat, witnesses said Tyer got in front of the car and Lewis allegedly drove into her, throwing her off the hood and hitting the ground where she sustained life-threatening injuries. Lewis then allegedly fled the scene.
Kelly told WESH, “Ashley stood in front of him so he wouldn’t go, and he didn’t care. He just scooped her up.”
According to the affidavit, witnesses saw Lewis “swerving in an apparent attempt to dislodge” Tyer from the hood of his car.
Tyer remained on life support for several days before dying on March 21.
Investigators connected the Hyundai to the woman Lewis was seen with at the tire shop. After conducting an investigative traffic stop after spotting the car in neighboring Polk County, Lewis told police that he had been at the Hard Rock Cafe from noon to 4 p.m. on March 16. After being read his rights, Lewis reportedly told police, “I don’t even know where Mascotte is, I don’t know anything.”
According to police, the passenger side of the windshield was cracked and the same side of the hood had a dent in it. Police were able to match Lewis to the suspect they saw on surveillance video at the tire shop at the time of the alleged hit-and-run.
Lewis was arrested and charged with first-degree vehicular homicide. During his court appearance on Tuesday, prosecutors said that Lewis had a previous conviction for negligent vehicular homicide in Ohio. The probable cause affidavit stated that his Florida drivers license had been suspended since 2021.
During Tuesday’s court appearance, Lewis’ bond was set at $500,000. He remains in custody at the Lake County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 20.
