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No Bail For Man Charged In Fiery Crash That Killed 3, Including His Sister

CHICAGO (CBS/AP) -- A 24-year-old man charged with causing a fiery crash that killed three people – including his own sister – has been ordered held without bail.

Police said a Chevy Malibu headed east on Harrison Street struck a Mitsubishi Outlander headed south on Oakley Boulevard around 6 p.m. on Sunday. The Malibu then hit a pole and caught on fire.

Three people in the Malibu were killed in the crash, but two others who were in the car tried to flee the scene as police arrived. They were stopped and arrested.

The driver, Deanton Thompson, was charged with three felony counts of reckless homicide and four felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

Deanton Thompson
Deanton Thompson is charged with reckless homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, in a fiery crash that killed three people, including his own sister. (Source: Cook County Sheriff)

Killed in the crash were Thompson's sister, 25-year-old Deseanell Thompson; 27-year-old Damon Patterson; and 25-year-old Jaron Patterson. Prosecutors said they were trapped in the back seat.

Witness Jonique Bolls shot video of the desperate attempts to open the car door.

One witness in the video can be heard saying, "someone is in that car."

Robert Phillips said he was just leaving a church service when the crash occurred. He tried to save a woman from the accident.

"The door was jammed, or whatever, and there was a lady in the back slumped over," Phillips said. "It was an inferno. ... I couldn't get her out."

Police said Thompson was speeding at the time of the crash.

Thompson was ordered held without bail on Wednesday, after a judge called him a "clear and present danger."

Defense attorney Steven Fine suggested another vehicle might have been involved in the crash, pushing Thompson's car into the intersection.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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