Driver killed, pedestrian injured in Round Lake Beach high-speed crash

One person is dead and a pedestrian seriously injured following a high-speed crash in Round Lake Beach Wednesday afternoon.

Round Lake Beach police said officers were called to a home on the 100 block of Beachview Drive about 4:15 p.m. for reports of an attempted home invasion.

As officers were on route, they were told the suspect had fled in a 2010 Nissan. One officer spotted the vehicle traveling west on Rollins Road and attempted to make a traffic stop, but the suspect sped away. Officers chose not to pursue the fleeing suspect out of safety concerns.

A short time later, the speeding Nissan "slammed" into two parked cars near the intersection of Rollins and Lotus Drive, authorities said.

A 55-year-old male pedestrian who was examining the two parked cars, because they were marked for sale, was struck by one that was spun into him from the force of the collision. The pedestrian was knocked into the road, where he was injured, authorities said.

The pedestrian was transported to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown, police said.

The driver of the Nissan, 38-year-old Lamar Chargois of Decatur, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lake County Coroner's Office ruled his death a result of blunt-force trauma stemming from the crash following an autopsy performed today.

The crash remains under investigation by county investigators.