Chicago hit-and-run outside gay bar Jeffery Pub: Suspect arrested
A suspect was arrested Monday in connection with a hit-and-run crash left three people dead and another injured at one of Chicago’s oldest and most iconic gay bars.
Tavis Dunbar, 34, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder, said Chicago police superintendent David Brown. said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Brown said an investigation found that Dunbar “intentionally hit multiple pedestrians” when he rammed his vehicle into a group of people outside the Jeffery Pub on Chicago’s South Side around 5 a.m. on August 14.
Brown called the incident a “senseless act of violence” and said he hoped the arrest would bring a sense of closure to loved ones of the victims.
“There is no case that makes the loss of a loved one less painful,” he said. “But we hope that bringing this offender to justice will bring some sense of relief.”
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Brendan Deenihan, the department’s chief detective, said at the news conference that Dunbar surrendered to police on Monday and “begged for his right to remain silent.” As a result, Deenihan said investigators are still looking for a motive.
Police determined Dunbar used anonymous tactics and interviewed people who were at the bar at the time of the incident, Deenihan said. Surveillance camera footage also allowed investigators to track Dunbar as he parked, exited and walked to an apartment building after the incident, Deenihan added.
Investigators found the vehicle had deployed airbags. Deenihan said the suspect was driving at nearly 60 km/h before crashing into four people.
“This person was driving at high speed,” he said. “The gas pedal is completely grounded, and he never tried to press the brake when this happened.”
Detectives discovered Dunbar was in the bar before the incident but said there was no evidence he got into a fight or argument with anyone before leaving, Deenihan said.
Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Dunbar to be jailed without bond during a hearing Tuesday.
Three of the victims in the crash were pronounced dead after they were taken to the hospital. Video of the incident, shared by outlets including NBC Chicagoshows a speeding car crashing into a group of people on the street.
“This is a terrible, terrible tragedy in the city of Chicago,” Cook County Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx said at the news conference.
Contribution: Associated Press
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