Cops Hunting Fugitive Driver From Horrific Crash

Detectives are hunting for a fugitive driver who left a severely injured friend behind after crashing into a tree early Sunday morning.

A 2000 Chevy Impala slammed into a tree near the corner of Theodore and Hosmer streets about 12:15 a.m. The driver of a Mustang heading east on Theodore told police the Impala sped past him moments before the crash.

When officers got to the scene, a 26-year-old was still in the back seat of the Impala. He had suffered severe head injuries and was transported to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center before he was airlifted to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood.

At least three other men fled on foot from the wrecked Impala. The Crest Hill cops located one of them early Sunday and he was questioned by Joliet detectives. A second fugitive showed up at St. Joe’s claiming he was injured in a beating. He later recanted and admitted he was hurt in the crash.

The Impala is registered to a man living on Briggs Street, police said. Detectives believe he was the driver and they are still searching for him.

McDonald’s wrappers led police to deduce that the men stopped at a drive-thru earlier in the evening. Surveillance video confirmed this and showed the man from Briggs Street had been driving, police said.

Empty Modelo beer cans were found in and around the crashed car, police said, and what was left of a case was also inside the vehicle.