Alan Perez, 25, is charged with first degree murder after prosecutors said he fatally stabbed another driver, 36-year-old Jeremy Walker, during a traffic altercation in River North Tuesday night.
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Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced the charges Friday afternoon.
Chicago police announce charges in River North road rage stabbing
Police said the two drivers, Perez and Walker, got out of their cars at the intersection of Dearborn and Ohio around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Walker asked Perez, who was driving behind him, why he was honking at him, Brown said.
Perez then got out, armed with a knife, and stabbed Walker in the left side of his neck during the altercation, police said. He then drove away, according to CPD.
READ MORE: Man killed in road rage stabbing near Mag Mile 'took care of a lot of people,' girlfriend says
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Brown said the day after the stabbing, police found Perez's car parked in the 200-block of West 50th Place. After obtaining a search warrant and as they were searching the car, they came into contact with two passengers who had been in the car at the time of the stabbing.
The passengers identified Perez as the driver, Brown said. Prosecutors said in court Saturday that Perez fled to Indiana, but then turned himself into police on Thursday.
Walker drove away after the attack and eventually flagged down an officer for help near Ohio and Michigan Avenue. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
Prosecutors said in court Saturday that Walker did not have any weapons on his person or in his car.
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"He was just a big teddy bear," said his girlfriend Jessica Evans. "The sweetest person ever. But he also had a very protective side of his family and of himself. And it's just unfortunate that things transpired the way that they did."
Walker is survived by a son. His family said he was working as a food delivery person, but was just days away from starting a new job as a bus driver. His sister said while the arrest does bring her family some comfort, it doesn't bring her brother back.
Perez is due back in court on August 30.