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Posted: Monday, 07 December 2009 3:33PM
Teen in court on charges he ran over other teen at the mall
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SKOKIE, Ill. (STNG) -- A Glenview teen appeared in a Skokie courtroom Monday after being charged with aggravated battery in a late November incident that ultimately left a 16-year-old Maine East High School student dead when he was struck by a car outside a Niles shopping center.
Edgardo De La Torre, of 9380 W. Emerson St. in Des Plaines, died Wednesday, Dec. 2., when he was pulled off life support with severe head injuries at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, family members confirmed.
A Friday autopsy revealed De La Torre died of head injuries from being hit by a car and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
A 16-year-old from Glenview was arrested in the incident on Monday, Nov. 30 and was charged in juvenile court with two counts of aggravated battery.
The teen suspect appeared Monday in the Skokie courthouse on his pending juvenile case, although charges had not yet been upgraded, according to Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin. The status hearing, however, was continued to Jan. 11.
The Sun-Times is not identifying the suspect because he is charged as a juvenile.
Niles police said the teens were involved in a dispute over a girl on a social networking Web site.
“Things were said online that caused him to go after this teen,” Niles Police Sgt. Tom Davis said of the driver, who remains in custody.
De La Torre was hanging out at Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles at about 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, with friends and his 14-year-old brother Alex, said their sister, Marisol, 13.
“They were walking across the parking lot to JCPenney when they saw a car coming at them,” Marisol said. “Alex was running away, but he turned back and saw what happened to Edgardo.”
The car clipped one of De La Torre’s friends, who is from Glenview, then did a U-turn and ran over De La Torre, his sister said.
“The driver circled back and mowed him down from behind,” Davis said.
Authorities said the car was traveling at least 30 mph. The Glenview boy was not seriously injured.
The driver flashed a Sureno 13 gang sign during the incident, Marisol said, adding that her brother was not in a gang.
Police said the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, which was stolen in November in Niles, was abandoned a few blocks from the mall.
De La Torre and the suspect knew each other since the sixth grade at Springman Middle School in Glenview, Marisol said.
The suspect dated a girl about three years ago, then De La Torre started seeing her. He dated her about two years before breaking up several months ago, Marisol said.
“I think this was over my brother’s ex-girlfriend,” she said.
Marisol said her family moved to unincorporated Des Plaines in July.
“My parents, they’re devastated,” Marisol said of her brother, who turned 16 on Tuesday.
“My brother was a very nice kid and a very helpful boy. He loved to play basketball and soccer. His goal for life was to be in the NBA.”
De La Torre transferred to Maine East for the fall semester, said an official with the school district.
The teen was “working very hard on the things he needed to do to be successful here,” Maine East Principal Steven Isoye said in a statement.
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Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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