Police in suburban Beach Park say that a man and woman both suffered serious injuries after the driver of a vehicle deliberately swerved into a tree during an argument Wednesday morning.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the area of 29th Street and Lone Oak Road at approximately 7:45 a.m. after a Nissan Murano slammed into a tree.
Officials believe that the driver and the passenger were arguing in the vehicle, and at one point the driver “indicated he was going to end their lives,” according to police. The driver then accelerated the vehicle and drove the Nissan directly into the tree.
Police found a 68-year-old man behind the wheel of the vehicle and a 38-year-old woman in the passenger seat. Both were trapped in the vehicle, and firefighters had to extricate both from the wreckage.
Both individuals were transported to area hospitals with serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries, police said.
The driver of the vehicle has been charged with aggravated domestic battery and reckless conduct in response to the incident, both felonies. He could also face additional charges, officials said.
His identity has not yet been released.
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