A 32-year-old man was killed in a single-car accident in Waukegan over the weekend, and the car’s driver faces several charges after allegedly fleeing the scene.
Police said Miguel Puente Alvarez was killed when the 1989 red Chevrolet Camaro he was in struck a light pole early Sunday near Jackson Street and Jackson Court in Waukegan.
Police said the driver, David Avila, 40, a Mexican citizen, was speeding, but investigators have not yet determined why the car went out of control.
Alvarez was in the front passenger seat and was not wearing a seat belt, Waukegan Police Sgt. Ralph Henriquez said. Alvarez most recently lived in Waukegan, but his driver’s license has a Decatur, Mich., address, authorities said.
Henriquez said the Camaro’s driver and two other passengers fled the accident scene. Police said the driver, Avila, was found about 3 p.m. Sunday hiding in the basement of a home on Lincoln Avenue on Waukegan’s South Side.
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Avila is charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, failure to report an accident, driving with a revoked license and driving without insurance, Henriquez said.
There were signs of open liquor in the car, and charges against Avila could be upgraded to reckless homicide, Henriquez said. There were pending warrants for Avila for domestic battery and drunken driving, according to authorities. He was ordered held in Lake County Jail on a $200,000 bond.