A North Chicago man pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide along with other charges after a fatal hit and run crash involving pedestrians on April 29 in Waukegan.
Tony Salcedo, 25, pleaded not guilty to a Lake County Circuit Court Judge on Monday to charges of reckless homicide, failure to report an accident involving death, and obstruction of justice.
Salcedo was held on a $100,000 bond and released after he posted the 10 percent bail on April 30.
Officials said that Salcedo was driving southbound in the 0-100 block of North Genesee Street in Waukegan at 4:30 a.m. April 27 when he saw a group of people in the street.
He then accelerated his vehicle and struck two of the pedestrians and fled the scene, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Ori said.
The two victims were transported to the hospital where one of them was pronounced dead. The victim killed was Jose J. Diaz, 28, of Waukegan and the second victim who survived with moderate injuries was identified as a 27-year-old Waukegan man, police said.
Salcedo was arrested that evening on April 29 after an investigation by the Waukegan Police Traffic Division and Criminal Investigations Division based on physical evidence and witness interviews, police said.
Salcedo told investigators that he drove in the crowd of people because they were attacking one of his friends. He said he fled the scene because he was drunk and panicked.
Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes placed Salcedo on the November trial call and a pretrial status is scheduled for August 17. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges.