Police: Row over girl prompted teen to run over rival

A rivalry over a girl might have been what prompted a 16-year-old boy to run over a Maine East High School student with his pickup truck, police said.

The 15-year-old student remained in critical condition late Tuesday, three days after the incident, police said.

The unidentified victim from an unincorporated area near Des Plaines was crossing Church Street into Golf Mill mall with friends when the boy driving the truck, an unidentified 16-year-old from Glenview, sped up and intentionally ran the teen over, said Sgt. Tom Davis of the Niles police.

The victim hit his head on the pavement, Davis said.

The truck also clipped a second 16-year-old, Davis said. Both victims were taken from the scene to Advocate Lutheran General in Park Ridge, but the second teen was released later that evening, Davis said.

"The victim in this case had transferred into Maine East at the beginning of the fall semester and was working very hard on the things that he needed to do to be successful in high school," Maine East Principal Steve Isoye said.

The 16-year-old offender is not a Maine East student, and he was arrested and charged with two counts of felony aggravated battery, Davis said. Though the teen is not being charged as an adult as yet, he could be if the injured teen does not survive, Davis said.

• Daily Herald staff writer Madhu Krishnamurthy contributed to this report.