Street preacher charged in fatal Back of the Yards hit-and-run
A street preacher was ordered held on $200,000 bail Thursday for his alleged role in a fatal Back of the Yards hit-and-run more than a year ago.
After leaving a Foot Locker in the 4700 block of South Ashland Avenue, Mister Lucky-Tyrone Pearson had stopped to pick something up in the road when he was struck by a red Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by Demetre Turner on July 26, 2019, Cook County prosecutors said.
Pearson, 39, was thrown onto the hood and windshield of the car and suffered serious injuries that resulted in his death nearly two weeks later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Turner, however, continued to drive away and later took the car to an auto shop to be repaired without reporting the crash, prosecutors said.
Turner, 39, was not the registered owner of the vehicle and did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash, prosecutors said.
He was identified in a photo array by another motorist who witnessed the crash, as well as a person on the street who saw the crash and recognized Turner as a man who was frequently seen street preaching at 47th Street and Ashland Avenue, prosecutors said.
Two days after the crash, Turner approached that person and mentioned “the code of the streets” to warn the witness against “snitching,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.
A warrant for Turner’s arrest was issued in October last year, and he was arrested Tuesday when he was seen drinking in public, prosecutors said.
He was charged with failure to report an accident involving a death.
An assistant public defender said Turner has two children and supports himself doing temporary security work. Turner preaches about the Bible and Torah, particularly to kids on the street who are involved in gang life, the defense attorney added.
Turner is expected back in court on Oct. 14.