Police: Illinois Teen Killed by Drunk Driver Weeks Before Graduation
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An Illinois teen was killed just weeks before his high school graduation at the hands of an alleged drunk driver who was speeding at over 120 mph, police said.
Taeyoung Kim, 21, has been charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Marko Niketic and extensive injuries to his 16-year-old girlfriend after driving at a “high rate of speed in a reckless manner” on the night of May 12, the Glenview Police Department said in documents obtained by NBC Chicago.
The high schoolers were at an intersection in the Chicago suburb when Kim's 2021 Ford Mustang struck their vehicle just after 11:00 p.m., the outlet reported.
Niketic's car was “split in half” by the impact from Kim's sportscar, which was also carrying another passenger, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
“As Niketic began turning, Kim’s vehicle approached the intersection at an immense rate of speed, still with the headlights off,” investigators said. “Just as Kim was entering the intersection, the headlights turned back on as Kim’s vehicle crashed into Niketic’s vehicle.”
Witnesses near the crash scene called 911 after seeing the crash, but Niketic already appeared to be dead in his vehicle.
Niketic's girlfriend, who has not been publicly named, was hospitalized with injuries including a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the brain, a fracture of the pelvis vertebrae, and brain damage, court documents said.
She was released from the hospital on Friday, NBC Chicago reported.
Documents obtained by the outlet stated that at least two witnesses saw Kim sitting in the driver's seat of the Mustang, and alleged he had “admitted he had been drinking.”
The passenger riding with Kim was also injured, sustaining a back fracture and a severed artery.
Kim himself made it out with a broken femur. A blood test reportedly found that he had a blood alcohol content of .088 as well as cannabis in his system.
The alleged reckless driver was charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, reckless homicide, aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, DUI of alcohol, DUI of drugs, and several traffic violations including speeding 35 mph over the limit.
He is being held without bond and is due back in court on May 24, the New York Post reported.
Niketic was going to graduate from high school on June 2, and his friends and family mourned him at a memorial service at the crash site.
A pomen, or a memorial service, is being held at the site of the crash that claimed the life of 17-year-old Glenbrook South HS senior Marko Niketic. Friends say he loved soccer, cars, and playing golf. They remember him as kind, funny, and loving. @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/qQiBpv9JKP
— Courtney Spinelli (@CourtSpinelliTV) May 16, 2024
“He’s one of those people, you meet him, and he’s glowing. The most genuine human ever,” one of his friends said to NBC Chicago. “He had a lot of stuff ahead of him. I can’t really process it.”
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