Authorities say a woman was left with extremely significant injuries after a suspect intentionally ran her over with a vehicle in a parking lot near the Waukegan Metra station.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded in the early morning hours on March 29 to a parking lot between the Metra train station and the lakefront for a 911 call of a person run over by a vehicle.
The victim was being transported to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan as officers responded to the scene.
She suffered “extremely significant” injuries to both of her feet, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell.
Officers spoke to a witness who drove the victim to the hospital.
He reported that the victim and some other friends, including Maria A. Perez, 21, of Waukegan, had been in the parking lot by the Metra station drinking.
The victim and Perez got into a physical fight behind Perez’s parked Chevrolet Equinox, McConnell said.
McConnell said Perez ran to her car and reversed over the victim, who was still standing where the two had been fighting.
The witness then picked up the victim and put her into his car before driving her to the hospital.
The victim told officers that her and Perez are friends. She told a similar version of events as the witness.
The victim said that when Perez got into her car, she abruptly reversed and caused the victim to fall to the ground, McConnell said.
McConnell said Perez continued reversing the car over the victim while she was on the ground, causing her to be run over by the rear and front tires.
The victim was in extreme pain and had significant lacerations to her feet and ankles, McConnell said. She had an extreme laceration to her left foot where her bone and muscles could be seen.
Officers described her feet as looking mangled and believed that she would likely need surgery.
A different witness directed responding officers to Perez as being the suspect. She was still in her Chevrolet at the scene.
Officers found a pool of blood and two shoes next to her vehicle. Perez told officers the incident happened because “those mother—-ers were trying to pull me out of the car,” McConnell said.
McConnell said Perez was evasive and upset with officers and she was transported to the police department where she was interviewed.
Perez told investigators she had been drinking when her and the victim got into a verbal argument but no physical fight occurred.
Investigators asked Perez why there was blood next to her car and she then said that it was because the victim had been hit by a car but that she was “fine.”
Perez was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Perez pending trial.
“This defendant got into a physical fight and chose to run over her friend causing her significant injuries that will likely have lasting consequences, it is clear that she is a danger to the community and based on the nature and circumstances of this defendant’s conduct it is clear that there are no conditions or combination of conditions that can mitigate the threat this defendant poses,” McConnell said.
A public defender for Perez argued for her release and said that she has a very limited criminal background.
The public defender said that Perez was the victim in the fight and did not fight back. He said that Perez got into her car and she was surrounded by people while the alleged victim tried pulling her out of the car.
“She was just trying to escape. She wasn’t trying to run anybody over. She was just trying to get away,” Perez’s attorney said.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim denied the petition to detain and released Perez with pre-trial conditions.
The judge said it was unclear whether Perez intentionally or accidentally ran over the victim.
Nerheim also said that Illinois’ cashless bail law requires him to presume the release of all defendants unless certain facts show that no pre-trial conditions could mitigate a defendant’s danger.
Perez is scheduled to appear in court again on April 29 for a status of preliminary hearing.