TL/DR –
A 21-year-old man, Taeyoung Kim, has been arrested and charged with various crimes including reckless homicide and aggravated DUI causing death and bodily harm following a fatal crash in Glenview. Kim’s vehicle hit the car of 17-year-old Marko Niketic at 122mph, causing Niketic’s death and seriously injuring his 16-year-old girlfriend. Evidence from a dashcam installed in Kim’s car and a blood test showing a blood alcohol level of .088 indicate he had been drinking and was driving at a high speed prior to the crash.
Taeyoung Kim, a 21-year-old Northbrook resident, detained over Glenview crash
On Saturday, a Northbrook man charged in an accident that claimed the life of a high school student in Glenview, was ordered to remain in detention. The 21-year-old suspect, Taeyoung Kim, was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated DUI causing death, DUI involving drugs, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, among others.
Kim’s Ford Mustang was equipped with a dashcam, which captured him running a red light on Roosevelt Road before driving at a high speed, making a U-turn, and merging onto I-90/94 westbound. Kim’s vehicle exited at Lake Avenue in Glenview, where he increased speed and turned off his headlights.
Kim approached an intersection at a high rate of speed, where 17-year-old Marko Niketic and his 16-year-old girlfriend were in their vehicle. Niketic was turning onto Lake Avenue when Kim’s vehicle crashed into his at 122mph, causing it to split in half.
Residents near the scene of the crash dialed 911 after hearing the impact. Niketic’s girlfriend suffered serious injuries including a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the brain, and fracture of the pelvis vertebrae. She was released from the hospital on Friday.
Following the crash, two witnesses saw Kim in the driver’s seat of the Mustang and he admitted to having been drinking. Kim’s passenger was also injured, suffering a back fracture and a severed artery. Kim was found to have a .088 blood alcohol level, above the legal limit, and traces of cannabis in his system.
A search of Kim’s vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia and containers with cannabis residue. A warrant executed on the vehicle’s black box showed Kim’s vehicle traveling at 131mph just before the impact. The speed limit on Lake Avenue is 35mph.
At the time of the incident, Kim had a valid driver’s license and two petty traffic offenses in Lake County from 2021. The crash occurred days before Niketic’s senior prom and weeks before graduation. Emotional family and friends have been visiting the crash site, leaving candles, photos and flower bouquets in tribute.
\”He’s one of those people, you meet him, and he’s glowing. The most genuine human ever,\” said Preston Shute, Niketic’s friend. \”He had a lot of stuff ahead of him. I can’t really process it.\”
Read More Better Today US News
Comments are closed.