CHAMPAIGN, Ill (WCIA) — A Savoy teenager was charged with three felonies on Monday following a hit-and-run incident on the University of Illinois campus that went viral on social media.
19-year-old Brendan Trumann was charged on one count each of Aggravated Reckless Driving, DUI and Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident. Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Reitz said that Trumann had no prior criminal record and faces a maximum of 22 years in prison if convicted. Bond was set at $600,000 and a preliminary court hearing was scheduled for July 20.
Champaign Police said that Trumann was kicked out of Joe’s Brewery, located near Fifth and Green Streets, just before closing time at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning for causing a disturbance. As he was told to leave, Trumann pulled out what appeared to be a handgun and pointed it at others, at which point Police were called. Trumann then got into his Dodge Challenger and started driving erratically in front of the bar.
The victim of the eventual hit-and-run, a 20-year-old man from Gibson City, approached Trumann’s car. Police said the victim and Trumann knew each other and the victim may have been trying to calm Trumann down.
Then a fight broke out. Reitz said that another person hit the victim’s head from behind, knocking him to the ground, and that person began punching the victim’s face. Trumann sped away from the scene, running over the victim twice in the process. The victim was still lying in the street when Police arrived minutes later; he is still in the hospital and there is no further information on his condition.
Reitz said that after leaving Joe’s, Trumann crashed his Charger in Mount Hope Cemetery near Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, damaging several headstones. Officers found the car abandoned with a realistic-looking BB gun inside. Trumann was later found walking in the parking lot of his apartment complex with visual signs of impairment. He admitted to driving the car.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing; the third person who started the fight with the victim has yet to be identified.
Champaign Police asks that anyone with information about this incident call them at 217-351-4545; arrangements can be made for information t be shared privately. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can submit information to Crime Stoppers by calling 217-373-8477, vising Crime Stoppers’ website or by using the P3 Tips app.