Waukegan man killed by SUV plowing into crowd after argument identified

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- A family is mourning the loss of a father after police said a man drove his car into a crowd of people after an argument outside a sports complex in Waukegan over the weekend.

Prisciliano Carranza, 22, of Waukegan, is charged with first-degree murder, and he's being held on a $5 million bond. Carannza is accused of using his SUV as a weapon in the parking lot of Lake County Sports Center in the northern suburb, killing a man in his 40s.

Waukegan police said Carranza was behind the wheel when witnesses said he backed up his black SUV in front of Lake County Sports Complex and plowed into a whole group of people, briefly pinning one man against a stone pillar before dragging his body across the parking lot.

"I know one of the players that got ran over. I played against him. He was there and I feel bad for him," said Armando Gomez.

The Lake County Coroner identified the victim as 40-year-old Jose Ochoa-Martinez of Waukegan, and said preliminary autopsy results show he died of "blunt force injuries caused by a motor vehicle."

Police said the SUV ran into three more of Ochoa's family members and another man before speeding off.

"The car took off, didn't think twice about it, just took off," Gomez said.

A Waukegan police officer spotted the vehicle with front-end damage and conducted a traffic stop.

Police said there were two passengers in the SUV with Carranza at the time.

Officers said they were able to track him down with tips from witnesses.

"We had a lot of witnesses that were on scene last night that were able to provide information not only to our 911 dispatchers, but also to arriving officers on scene," said Waukegan Police Commander Joe Florip.

A 10-year-old girl was the only victim that wasn't taken to a hospital. The three others injured are expected to make a full recovery.