A 32-year-old man accused of badly injuring a pedestrian while fleeing police in a car searched the internet afterward for advice on “how to stash a Jaguar,” prosecutors said in court.
Antonio Jackson allegedly ran a red light at 83rd Street and Lafayette Avenue and struck a man at high speed while being pursued by an Illinois State Police trooper on the city’s South Side around 5 p.m. on February 2.
According to a detention filing, the victim was walking eastbound on 83rd Street when Jackson barreled through the red light in his white Jaguar sedan, launching the pedestrian into the air and across the intersection. He landed near the curb, motionless.
A Chicago police unit following the pursuit stopped to assist the victim while Jackson sped away, according to prosecutors. The detention filing said the man, who suffered multiple broken bones and internal injuries, remained hospitalized at the University of Chicago Medical Center for about four weeks. He was then transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility, where he underwent further treatment for three to four weeks until his insurance ran out. Prosecutors said he required “upwards of five surgeries” and continues to struggle with pain and mobility.
Online, ISP said “troopers responded to a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian” without revealing that the hit-and-run driver was being pursued by troopers.
Investigators quickly tied the crash to Jackson. The Jaguar was registered to him, and state troopers located it the following day with fresh front-end damage, prosecutors said. ISP towed the vehicle for evidence.
Detectives also examined Jackson’s phone, which showed he was actively using it during the pursuit and at the time of the crash, prosecutors said. The device’s location data allegedly confirmed his presence along the chase route.
The phone allegedly contained screenshots of the Citizen app’s coverage of the Jaguar fleeing from police, which Jackson shared via Facebook Messenger. His search history revealed multiple inquiries about the crash, including which Chicago Police district might investigate it and phrases like “how to stash a Jaguar,” according to the detention filing.
It said Jackson denied involvement, claiming he owns many cars and routinely leaves the keys in them.
He is charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and failure to report a personal injury accident. Judge Luciano Panici Jr. granted prosecutors’ detention request, keeping Jackson in custody while the case moves forward.
