Police: Man Charged In Elgin Motorcycle Street Race That Left Second Man Dead
ELGIN, Ill. (CBS) -- Police in Elgin said a motorcycle crash that left a man dead last month started with a street race in which speeds accelerated between 88 and 114 mph.
The surviving motorcyclist has been arrested and charged.
At 5:52 a.m. June 11, Piotr Klimczak, 49, of Palatine, was headed south on Route 31 (State Street) in Elgin when he crossed the center line and collided with a northbound 2005 Honda sport-utility vehicle near Wing Street, Elgin police said.
Klimczak was critically injured and was taken to AMITA Health St. Joseph Hospital Elgin, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Following an investigation by Elgin and West Dundee police, officers determined that Klimczak had been street racing against Matthew Kasper, 26, of Algonquin, who was also on a motorcycle, police said. Kasper left the scene when first responders arrived at the crash site, police said.
Kasper was arrested on Tuesday, police said. The Kane County State's Attorney's office approved charges of one count each of reckless homicide, aggravated street racing, and leaving the scene of a motorcycle accident involving death – all felonies, police said.
Kasper was also charged with misdemeanor speeding of 35 mph or more over the speed limit, police said.
Bond for Kasper was set at $50,000 Tuesday.
"We remind everyone that speeding is dangerous," Elgin police Chief Ana Lalley said in a news release. "Already in 2019 there have been seven traffic crash fatalities in Elgin, some of which include speed as a factor. We want you, and those you share the road with, to arrive at destinations safely."
