CHICAGO — A suburban man drove his Ford Mustang at 109 mph on a Chicago street before slamming into another vehicle, causing both of his passengers to suffer broken necks, prosecutors said Saturday.
Ricardo Ortega-Flores, 19, was ordered held in lieu of a $10,000 bail deposit by Judge William Fahy on charges of aggravated reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.
A prosecutor told Fahy that Ortega-Flores disregarded red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road to pass other vehicles as he rocketed north on Kedzie Avenue between 47th and 42nd streets around 3:45 a.m. on April 12.
At 42nd Street, traveling 92 mph, the Mustang slammed into a Cadillac Escalade at a stop sign, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Dale-Schmidt said.
With the Mustang’s front right tire now missing, Ortega-Flores continued driving on three wheels, throwing sparks from the tireless wheel, until he struck an unoccupied truck nearby, according to Dale-Schmidt.
The driver of the Escalade was treated and released, but a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in Ortega-Flores’ car suffered broken necks, blunt force injuries, and facial injuries.
Ortega-Flores didn’t call 911, but others did, Dale-Schmidt said. When police arrived, he allegedly told them that an unknown person had been driving the Mustang and fled the scene on foot, but cops learned that he was the actual driver.
He surrendered to the police on Thursday.
During his bail hearing yesterday, Ortega-Flores’ defense attorney said he is a Downers North High School graduate working to become a mechanic.
If Ortega-Flores posts bail, he must go on electronic monitoring while the case is pending, Judge Fahy said.