Man in custody in deadly hit-and-run that killed girl, 11

June 23, 2010

Sun-Times Media Wire

Police are talking to a “person of interest” after seeking a white van that stopped for a moment but fled the scene when it hit and dragged an 11-year-old girl who died less than an hour after the South Side crash Tuesday night.

The crash happened at 6:45 p.m. on the 2500 block of East 79th Street, according to a South Chicago District police sergeant.

An 11-year-old girl was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. at University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital from a motor vehicle crash at the 79th Street address, according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

No one else was hurt, the sergeant said.

A man was driving a 1993 Chevrolet van east on 79th Street when the van struck an 11-year-old girl who was crossing the street at the corner of 79th and Colfax, according to the sergeant.

As of 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, police were talking to a “person of interest,” police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines said.

The van was found in the 1800 block of South Western Avenue at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday by Ogden District officers and a 67-year-old man was arrested about 2 a.m. Wednesday on the 2000 block of South Western Avenue by an outside unit, police said.

The girl was dragged several feet and suffered a head injury that was possibly internal. The driver initially stopped, but a crowd who had seen the crash started converging onto the van and he apparently became fearful of the crowd and drove away, according to the sergeant.

That corner is known to usually have a lot of pedestrians out and about, according to the sergeant.

Police know who the white van is registered to but the driver has not turned himself in as of 2 a.m., according to the sergeant who said the van sustained damage to its front passenger side bumper area.

The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.

From: http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2424000,hit-and-run-suspect-custody-062310.article