Charges were pending Friday against the village manager of suburban Oak Lawn after authorities say he crashed a village vehicle into a man and then fled the scene.
Officers responded to the hit-and-run crash at around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 10100 block of Harlem Avenue in Chicago Ridge, according to a statement from Chicago Ridge police.
The victim, a 48-year-old man from Worth, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition, officials said.
Witnesses at the scene told investigators that the vehicle in the crash belonged to the Village of Oak Lawn, according to police, who said they worked with the Oak Lawn Police Department to find the car and driver in the 5100 block of West 96th Street. Authorities said the vehicle was subsequently towed from the residence and was held by police for investigation.
Chicago Ridge and Oak Lawn police identified the driver as 70-year-old Larry Deetjen, who serves as the village manager for the Village of Oak Lawn. Deetjen was arrested and taken into custody of Chicago Ridge police, officials said.
Charges were pending against Deetjen as of Friday morning, according to police, who said he was cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
