A man was critically injured in Beach Park after he leapt onto the hood of a car fleeing an accident and was then run over by the vehicle, police said Monday
The 19-year-old Waukegan resident was reported in critical condition following the incident, which started in a parking lot at around 1:30 a.m. Monday.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the 37800 block of North Sheridan Road saw two vehicles pulling out of the parking lot of a business at a high rate of speed, with the man clinging to the hood of the lead vehicle, a 204 Toyota Camry.
The man was waving to the deputy in asking for help, police said.
The deputy followed, and the second vehicle passed the squad car and pulled along side the Camry. The Camry driver braked, throwing the man off the hood. The Camry driver, who police said is a 17-year-old Winthrop Harbor girl, then ran over the man and continued to drive away.
The deputy stopped to help the injured man.
The driver of the second car continued to follow the Camry and alerted police to its location. Another deputy located the Camry as it drove south on Interstate 94, and that deputy and Illinois State Police officers followed.
Police deployed a tire deflation device and the Toyota came to a stop near mile marker 42 near Rosemont. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody and brought back to the Lake County sheriff’s office.
Authorities said the Toyota was involved in an auto accident in the business parking lot, and the man who was injured intervened. He was forced to jump onto the Toyota’s hood when it drove at him, police said.
His friends were in the other vehicle that gave chase. The other vehicle was not involved in the initial accident, police said.
The incident remains under investigation.