Chicago police are questioning a man they say is the prime suspect in the hit-and-run death of 11-year-old Itali Hinton, according to the Chicago Tribune. The fatal incident took place in the South Shore neighborhood earlier this week.
And since there were reportedly several witnesses to the accident, the man's Chicago criminal attorney (if he is charged with the crime) might have a difficult time defending his client's actions. If he ran a red light before the collision, as witnesses claim, it could make the defendant's charges even more difficult to defend against.
Itali Hinton and her father were returning home from a visit with her grandmother, crossing a street, when a van that witnesses say ran a red light struck her. She was dragged a short distance, but that was enough to sustain fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead at Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago shortly after.
The van stopped for a moment but the driver allegedly sped off as an angry crowd of witnesses approached.
Witnesses provided police with the van's license plate number and the suspect was taken into custody later that evening, according to police.
The girl's 19-year-old brother, Pariss Kidd, described his deceased sister as "full of energy" and "full of joy." She would have been a 6th-grader at Beasley Elementary School, he said:
"She loved to read. She was full of life, she wanted to do everything. She loved basketball and was just a great kid."
Police have not released the name of the suspect, a 67-year-old man, and he had not been charged as of Wednesday, according to ABC Chicago.
Motorists have the legal duty to stop immediately after an injury accident and take reasonable steps to help any victims, including a call to local police, according to FindLaw. Any driver leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death may face a felony hit-and-run charge.
Related Resources:
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Hit and Run (FindLaw)
- Rookie LA Angels Pitcher Nick Adenhart Killed in Hit-and-Run Car Crash (FindLaw's Blotter Blog)
- Contact a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
