A highschool senior was killed simply weeks earlier than commencement when a suspected drunk driver, rushing at over 120 mph, break up his automotive into two throughout a crash in a Chicago suburb.
Marko Niketic, 17, was driving along with his 16-year-old girlfriend in Glenview, IL when a sports activities automotive struck their car at an intersection simply after 11 p.m. on Could 12.
The motive force, Taeyoung Kim, 21, had been driving his 2021 Ford Mustang with a passenger from his dwelling in Northbrook to downtown Chicago and again earlier within the day, in keeping with court docket data obtained by NBC Chicago.
“The investigation revealed at 2308 hours (11:08 p.m.) on Could 12, Kim drove his car westbound on East Lake Ave, at a excessive price of velocity in a reckless method,” the Glenview Police Division mentioned.
Kim’s automotive crashed into Niketic as the teenager was making a left flip by means of the intersection of East Lake Ave and Meadow Lane, roughly 20 miles northwest of Chicago.
Kim had been racing previous different vehicles going westbound on Lake Ave, with one driver noting Kim rising speeds and turning his headlights off.
“As Niketic started turning, Kim’s car approached the intersection at an immense price of velocity, nonetheless with the headlights off,” the court docket paperwork allege. “Simply as Kim was getting into the intersection, the headlights turned again on as Kim’s car crashed into Niketic’s car.”
The entrance of Kim’s automotive struck the motive force’s aspect of Niketic’s car, splitting it into two.
The entrance half of Niketic’s sedan remained within the highway, with the again half being despatched flying by means of a close-by fence and touchdown in a yard.
Kim’s automotive, which had a dashcam recording his joyride, got here to a halt close to a tree on the aspect of the highway.
Witnesses contained in the houses close to the scene of the crash instantly referred to as 911 earlier than speeding to the scene and noticed Niketic inside his car, showing to be deceased, Kim’s bond court docket proffer learn.
Different witnesses noticed Kim sitting inside his automotive and admitted he had been consuming, whereas his passenger was mendacity on the bottom bleeding closely, WMAQ reported.
The teenager was pronounced useless on the scene.
His girlfriend and Kim’s passenger have been each rushed to the hospital in vital situation.
Niketic’s girlfriend, who stays unidentified, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the mind, a fracture of the pelvis vertebrae and hyper-density of the left frontal lobe of the mind with lack of consciousness and seizure.
She was launched from the hospital on Friday.
Kim’s passenger sustained a fracture to his again and a severed artery within the crash.
Kim suffered a damaged femur, and a blood-drawn take a look at concluded he had a blood alcohol stage of .088, the take a look at additionally revealed he had hashish in his system.
Throughout their investigation, police discovered a bong, rolling papers, a one-hitter hashish pipe with residue and two plastic containers with hashish residue inside Kim’s car.
Kim was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated DUI inflicting loss of life, reckless murder, aggravated DUI inflicting nice bodily hurt, DUI of alcohol, DUI of medication, and a number of other site visitors violations together with rushing 35 mph over the restrict.
He appeared in court docket on Saturday.
Kim is being held with out bond, and his subsequent court docket date is scheduled for Could 24, in keeping with jail data considered by The Submit.
Niketic’s funeral was held on Thursday, two days earlier than his highschool, Glenbrook South, held its promenade.
Niketic was set to graduate on June 2.
“He’s a kind of folks, you meet him, and he’s glowing. Essentially the most real human ever,” buddy Preston Shute advised NBC Chicago. “He had a whole lot of stuff forward of him. I can’t actually course of it.”
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