Brookfield police ticketed a 21-year-old Chicago man May 8 for a hit-and-run accident.
Around 3 p.m., police were informed of the incident, which had just occurred at the intersection of Maple Avenue and 31st Street. Police were told the car that caused the accident was grey with a temporary Illinois registration that was last seen heading south on Maple Avenue.
An officer who reviewed public safety cameras at the intersection said the grey car was seen heading west on 31st Street waiting to make a left turn onto Maple Avenue to head south. Both east- and westbound traffic had a green light, and the car illegally turned left, colliding with another car that had the right-of-way heading east. The grey car was seen heading south on Maple Avenue without stopping.
An officer on patrol was heading east on Washington Avenue toward Eight Corners when they observed a silver Chevrolet with a temporary registration heading south on the 3500 block of Maple Avenue. After dispatch confirmed the temporary registration number, the officer pulled the offending car over at the intersection with Burlington Avenue. Several details of the car’s appearance matched what police saw on the cameras.
The officer told the man his vehicle had been reportedly involved in the hit-and-run. The man, who did not speak English, pulled up a translator app on his cell phone to communicate. The officer told him to turn off the car and step out of the vehicle, which the man did. When asked, the man provided his driver’s license to the officer but said he did not have insurance on the car. The statewide police database showed the man possessed a valid learner’s permit but not a valid driver’s license.
Another officer arrived on scene to assist with translation. The man, who told police he had just moved to the area from Colombia, said he had been involved in the accident and that he pulled over further down the block on Maple Avenue but did not know what to do as he was afraid. The man said he thought the other car was responsible for the accident, having pulled out in front of his car.
Police ticketed the man for failing to yield the right-of-way, operating an uninsured car, driving without a valid license and leaving the scene of a hit-and-run. Police sent the man on his way on pretrial conditions with a May 27 court date.
No one arrested in Riverside crash
Riverside police responded to a three-car crash on May 8, but no one was arrested.
Around 10:39 p.m., an officer arrived at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and 34th Street and saw two cars, a Porsche and a Toyota, blocking traffic on Harlem.
The officer spoke to the driver of the Porsche, who said he was driving north on Harlem Avenue when he saw the Toyota, heading south, begin to make a left turn to head east on 34th Street but stop in his lane. The man told police he swerved to try to avoid the car but failed and hit it anyway. After the collision, his car turned parallel with the Toyota, and a third vehicle heading south struck the back of the Porsche before leaving the scene.
The driver of the Toyota told the officer he had stopped mid-turn after seeing the Porsche heading in his direction “at a fast rate,” police said, before it swerved and struck his car.
Both drivers provided police with a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance before being looked at by paramedics and signing refusals of transport to the hospital.
Two eyewitnesses said they observed the accident as the drivers described it.
The officer returned to the Riverside Police Department and, using village cameras, was able to find a phone number on the side of the third vehicle. On a phone call, the driver told police he didn’t realize he had struck another vehicle and agreed to come into the police station.
Later, at the station, the driver said he observed the other cars colliding and swerved to avoid hitting them. He said he didn’t see any damage to his vehicle but noticed some scuff marks on the rear driver’s side.
All three drivers were ultimately given cards to access the crash report online and sent on their way.
These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated May 8 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated May 5-12; they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
