Gabriel Johnson / Photo from Cook County Sheriff's office
BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
Chicago Sun-Times
Two men were ordered held on $1 million bond each Sunday for their roles in a police chase that ended in a fatal crash.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. set bail after prosecutors described how Gabriel Johnson, 18, and Dontrell Reese, 20, tried to outrun police but quickly spun out and crashed into a light pole Thursday evening near West 80th Street and South Lowe Avenue.
The red Chevrolet Monte Carlo they were in flipped on its side, killing 16-year-old backseat passenger Wally Flex, Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack said.
Before the crash, plainclothes Chicago Police officers were patrolling the area following reports of a nearby gang-related shooting, Mack said.
The officers noticed the Monte Carlo, which had a broken rear window, because it was circling the area of the shooting, Mack said.
The officers initially stopped the car. But when they approached, Johnson sped away, Mack said.
The officers watched as the car hit a speed bump and disregarded two stops signs, Mack said. Police chased the Monte Carlo until Johnson careened into a light pole and the car flipped several blocks later.
Flex, whose neck was broken in the crash, died at the scene, authorities said.
Reese was arrested after he climbed out of the passenger side window and tossed a black .32 caliber revolver, Mack said.
Johnson was pinned in the car and was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County with several fractured bones, Mack said. First responders found a loaded revolver tucked in his waistband.
Johnson, who tested positive for marijuana, was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated DUI and unlawful possession of a handgun, prosecutors said. He also was cited with several traffic offenses as well as not having a drivers’ license.
Reese, a convicted felon, was charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm.