CHICAGO – The motorist responsible for a fatal wrong-way crash on Lake Shore Drive was driving with a revoked driver’s license and had a blood-alcohol level about three times the legal limit, prosecutors said in court filings.
Judge David Kelly rejected a prosecution request to keep Leotis Carter, 53, in jail pending trial, opting to send Carter home with an ankle monitor.
Just before midnight on Oct. 6, 2023, Carter was driving his Honda CR-V southbound in the northbound lanes of the ramp, prosecutors said. Near 29th Street, he crashed head-on into a northbound Tesla Model 3, sending the Tesla’s rear passenger partially through the windshield, according to a Chicago police report.
The passenger, Riley Hall, 29, was pronounced dead from his injuries less than an hour later.
According to a misdemeanor complaint, Carter’s blood serum level was 0.279, equivalent to a blood alcohol level of about 0.24, or three times the legal limit. It also said he was driving with a revoked license.
The CPD’s Major Accident Investigations Unit continued to investigate the crash for nearly a year. Carter surrendered to police last week with the help of his attorney.
He is charged with aggravated DUI causing a fatal accident, reckless homicide by a motor vehicle, and aggravated DUI with prior convictions.
