1 charged after 4 injured in hit-and-run outside Guaranteed Rate Field before White Sox game

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man is now charged after four pedestrians were injured, three critically, in a terrifying hit-and-run outside Guaranteed Rate Field before a White Sox game Tuesday night, Chicago police said.

Police said the driver was taken into custody after a crash about a mile away. Wednesday night 20-year-old Condelarious Garcia of Chicago was charged with multiple felonies for the incident. He is charged with four felony counts of failure to report an accident causing injury, four felony counts of aggravated reckless driving causing bodily harm, and one misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license. He was also issued three citations, for failure to reduce speed, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving with an expired registration.

Garcia is due in bond court Thursday.

Meanwhile, witnesses described a wild scene.

Many residents said they are scared to cross at the intersection every day and they want a traffic light installed.

Alderman Nicole Lee said she plans to work with the city to make this spot safer.

The hit-and-run happened at around 6:30 p.m., about a half an hour before the White Sox game was set to start.

Police said a silver vehicle hit four people crossing the street near 35th Street and Shields Avenue right outside the ballpark's Gate 4 entrance.

Illinois State Police and CPD immediately gave chase onto the expressway. The vehicle was stopped by troopers and appeared to crash about a mile away on the Dan Ryan Expressway at 46th Street.

"They were all on the ground. One was half on the ground half on the sidewalk the other ones were on the sidewalk," said a witness who asked to remain anonymous.

Police said one of the four victims who was hit ended up landing in the vehicle's sunroof. That victim was in the car as it fled and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

A 51-year-old woman was also taken to an area hospital in critical condition..

A 25-year-old man was critically injured and a 24-year-old man is listed as fair.

Witnesses were horrified.

"The next I know, the man ended up going up some sidewalk and hitting people, four people," witness Adam Jobes said. "I saw four people going up in the air. It could have been my mom and dad. And I have a wife that is ADA as well. It could have been her."

A group of residents who walk together each morning near Guaranteed Rate Field are well aware of the speeding cars that barrel down 35th Street on a daily basis.

"We walk this path every single day and we really can't get through unless we stop traffic," Sussie Sanchez-Wagner said. "There's two of us that are retired crossing guards, and we raise our arms to stop traffic."

So many were not surprised to hear about the hit-and-run Tuesday night.

"There definitely needs to be some sort of stop light," Cheryl Hawes said. "I think stop light. Stop signs nobody stops for. The stop light might deter people to let people cross.

Alderman Nicole Lee said she was told by the White Sox, who have the crash on surveillance video, that the driver was estimated to be going 45 to 60 mph and drove up on the sidewalk to get around other vehicles that were stopped on 35th Street.

Some residents are calling for game-day street closures, but others think a permanent signal will do.

"Don't shut it down," Sanchez-Wagner said. "We still have residents living here so they need to get to wherever they're going to, but I say slow the traffic down. Put a street light on. Something. Something's gotta save people."

The White Sox released a statement, saying in part, "Our hearts go out to the four fans who were injured this evening, their families and friends, as well as the fans who witnessed the incident on their way to a baseball game."

An investigation by Major Accidents is ongoing, police said.