Police are searching for the driver who fatally struck cyclist Angelo L. Resto, 46, in Humboldt Park yesterday evening and fled the scene.
At about 6 p.m. the eastbound driver of a black 2009 Saturn SUV was stopped at a stop sign on Augusta at Avers, according to Officer Michelle Tannehill from Police News Affairs. When the motorist accelerated from the stop sign, they rear-ended Resto on his bicycle, and he was dragged beneath the vehicle. The driver fled east on Augusta and then south on Hamlin.
Resto, of the 1200 block of Santa Fe in Romeoville, was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 6:10 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Police later found the SUV abandoned in an alley near the 800 block of North Avers, Tannehill said. There are indications that the vehicle was stolen. A WGN report stated that nearby police cameras and private security cameras may be helpful in identifying the driver.
Resto was the sixth on-street bike fatality in Chicago this year. Five of the six deaths took place on the West Side or Near West Side.
Update 12/20/17 11:00 AM: The Cook County medical examiner's office released the identity of the victim this morning. The post has been updated.
Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 42
Bicyclist: 6
Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago streets. The pedestrian count above is based on Chicago Police Department data for January through October released by the Chicago Department of Transportation, plus media reports for November and December. In addition to the on-street bike fatalities, on June 24 a cyclist was riding on a CTA train platform when he fell on the tracks and was fatally struck.
