Driver Charged In Southwest Side Hit-And-Run That Killed 13-Year-Old Boy On Bike As Family Mourns
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Charges have been filed against the driver accused of hitting and killing a 13-year-old boy riding his bike on the Southwest Side.
As CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reported, police said the driver took off after hitting the boy, Isaac Martinez. Isaac's mother was among those who headed back to the scene Tuesday night to share his story.
Friends and family carried flowers to the corner of Columbus and Lawndale avenues in the Ashburn community on Tuesday evening. Others carried an overwhelming sense of loss.
"I want justice for my son! I want justice for him!" said Isaac's mother, Itzel Dirzo. "I want justice to be served, and I want answers too."
Heartbroken and in tears, Dirzo remembered the life of her son. He was riding his bike Sunday night and was hit and killed by a driver in a Ford work van.
As Dirzo got word of the gathering, the driver was charged, and for a moment, grief turned into transitions of relief.
"Oh thank God, thank God," Dirzo said.
Oscar Martinez Guerrero, 40, is accused of multiple counts in the fatal hit-and-run.
Advocacy group Bike Lane Uprising set up a symbolic human bike chain where the impact occurred.
They, along with Isaac's family, are asking for greater safety for riders. Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th) noted the area is labeled bike-friendly, but does not have barriers or marketers for riders.
"It is a bike route," Curtis said. "When they made the bike route, they should have put in lanes."
Isaac's family said he was an honor student, looking forward to eighth grade.
For months, Isaac saved up money to buy his bike. Tragically, it's now evidence in a criminal case.
"He was very happy to ride his bike - his first bike," Dirzo said.
Suspect Martinez Guerrero was found just a short distance from the scene. He expected to be in court on Wednesday, when we could learn more about the circumstances leading up to the incident.