Two Chicago teenagers who killed a baby and wounded three passengers after stealing a car and crashing it have been charged with only a ‘misdemeanour’.
The boys, aged 14 and 17, stole a Hyundai Sonata and sped down the road where they sped through an intersection before colliding with a pickup truck which was travelling southbound.
The two boys sped down on West Washington Road and hit the truck on North Kostner Avenue, at around 5pm on April 16. Mirror reported.
Inside the pickup truck was an adult woman, 34, and three children aged 15, seven and just six months.
The six month old, named as Cristian Uvidia, died of his injuries, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed.
The other three passengers, believed to be his mother and two sisters, were treated at the nearby Stroger Hospital, according to police.
A GoFundMe created by family member Annelisse Rivera, has said the family are ‘devastated’ and ‘broken.’
Talking about the crash, which took place in Chicago, US, on the fundraising page, she said: ‘In that moment, our lives were [altered] forever. Our sweet boy Cristian, or as we call him at home ‘Cristiansito’, life was cut short at just six months.
‘He suffered from an impact that fractured his skull, causing his brain to swell and eventually killing him.’
The crash was caught on surveillance video by Shawn Walker, a local resident.
His video cameras saw the Ford pickup truck driving northbound before being struck by the Hyundai. The Hyundai came to rest at a lamp post, while the truck reportedly went head on into a large tree.
The teenage boys are facing only misdemeanour charges, and have each been charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing in relation to the crash in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighbourhood, according to Chicago Police.
In an interview with Fox32 Chicago, Rivera called the misdemeanour charges ‘disheartening’.
‘Your however-minutes-long joyride ruined our life completely,’ she said.
Two other teenagers were reportedly inside the stolen car, however they have not been charged.
The family of Cristian told Fox32 he had just turned six months old the day before the crash.
Nevertheless, the investigation is ongoing and charges against the teens could be upgraded after police complete their investigation.
As of Sunday, April 23, a Chicago police spokesperson told the New York Post that no further charges have been brought against the teenagers.
