CHICAGO — Nearly two years after a man allegedly admitted to driving a car that crashed and burst into flames, killing three people as he sped from a street takeover on the South Side, prosecutors have approved reckless homicide charges in the case. CWBChicago first told you about the horrific crash, the aftermath of which was caught on video, the day after it happened in the 10000 block of South Halsted on February 18, 2023.
The events leading up to the crash began around 10:49 p.m. on that Saturday when more than 100 cars gathered for a “sideshow” of stunt drivers at the intersection of 95th and Halsted, officials said. Sideshows, in which drivers of modified vehicles spin donuts in front of a large crowd at major intersections, continue to be an ongoing problem for the city.
Chicago cops began dispersing the crowd, and drivers sped away from the intersection. Minutes later, a 2008 Infiniti G35 clipped a utility pole and spun sideways at Halsted and 100th Street, according to a Chicago police report reviewed by CWB Chicago. The car’s passenger side slammed into a brick wall and burst into flames.
Video recorded from a passing vehicle, which shows two people running from the wreckage, was first tweeted by the Chicago Critter account (foul language):
In the report, an officer said they heard “the sound of a large bang” and found the G35 engulfed in flames. They saw two occupants running from the vehicle and the driver, identified in the report as Vicente Rodriguez of Aurora, was arrested about a block away. Rodriguez “self-admitted to being the driver” of the burning car, according to the report. He was taken to Christ Hospital in serious condition with injuries he suffered in the crash. The report said the second man who ran from the crash, believed to be the front passenger, was not immediately found.
At the crash scene, first responders found three men trapped in the burning car’s rear seat, the report said. The victims, Salvador Garcia, 19, and 18-year-olds Jose Manuel Velazquez and Joniel Gutierrez, all of Aurora, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodriguez, now 20, was not criminally charged until now. Court records show a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the case on December 3, 2024. On Saturday, Judge Deidre Dyer ordered him detained pending trial on three counts of reckless homicide with a motor vehicle.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
