Man Charged With DUI, Reckless Homicide For Garfield Ridge Hit-And-Run
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Reckless homicide and DUI charges have been filed against the hit-and-run driver of an SUV that struck two pedestrians late Saturday in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood on the Southwest Side, leaving one of them dead.
Patrick J. Brazel, 27, has been charged with two felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing injuries or death; one felony count of reckless homicide; one felony count of aggravated DUI causing a fatal accident; and one misdemeanor count of DUI, according to a statement from Chicago Police. He was also cited for failure to take due care for a pedestrian in the roadway.
About 10:45 p.m., 42-year-old Guadalupe Chavez and a 39-year-old man were walking north across Archer Avenue at Lavergne when they were both struck by a red Jeep, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The driver, identified as Brazel, left the scene of the crash but was arrested within several hours in the 5800 block of South Rutherford, police said.
Chavez, of the 5600 block of West Pershing Road in Cicero, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., according to the medical examiner's office. An autopsy found she died of multiple injuries and her death was ruled an accident.
The man was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, where his condition was stabilized, police said.
Brazel, who lives in the 5800 block of South Neva, was expected to appear in bond court Tuesday, according to police.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
