Allen Espino, 29, Arrested In Hit-And-Run Of Woman At Bus Stop During Mexican Independence Day Festivities In South Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man has been arrested in connection with a hit and run of a woman at a bus stop during Mexican Independence Day festivities in Chicago's South Loop on Sept. 15, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Allen Espino, 29, of Chicago, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
It happened during the Mexican Independence Day Parade along Michigan Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Several people witnessed the moment, including CBS 2's Marissa Parra, who was filming when it happened.
Parra stood on Michigan Avenue at 11th Street, traffic was blocked in both directions as people sat on top of cars and trucks – celebrating and honking their horns.
Suddenly, a red pickup truck on the other side of the street jumped the curb – almost hitting several people including Parra before ramming into the bus shelter.
A 61-year-old woman was sitting inside the bus shelter at the time.
Everyone heard the pickup truck's screeching tires as it swerved moments before driving into Dorothy Sterling. The driver backed up and stalled for a few moments and then sped away.
Meanwhile, Sterling was left bleeding in the bus shelter where she had been sitting.
Sterling was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. We are told she might lose her leg, but she is expected to survive. She's still at the hospital, but she had one thing to say when she heard police made an arrest: "Hallelujah, and thank you Jesus."
Espino's bond is set at $100,000, and he would be placed on electronic monitoring if he were to post bond, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Espino was still in custody Sunday morning. His next court date is set for Oct. 30.
