8 years later, hit-and-run driver who killed Maine West student still unknown

Monday marks the eighth anniversary of the death of Choice Taylor, a popular Maine West High School student struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver as he walked across a road in his hometown of Des Plaines.

Police we spoke with this week say it's still an open investigation, but they're no closer to identifying the driver of the truck that hit Choice, 17, as he walked home from a work shift at a nearby Jewel-Osco store.

In the weeks after the crash, police chased dozens of leads, handed out hundreds of flyers, reached out to trucking firms across the region and worked with eyewitnesses to create a composite sketch of the driver. At this point, there's not much more they can do beyond hoping someone comes forward with crucial information.

“Any information that comes in, we will follow up on,” Des Plaines police Cmdr. Christopher Mierzwa told us. “A case like this, we keep open, but unfortunately nothing has come in.”

Choice was hit about 6 p.m. Nov. 5, 2010, as he tried to cross Algonquin Road about 50 feet east of Third Avenue. Witnesses said he fell and was rolled over by the westbound semi, which was not towing a trailer at the time. The truck's cab was described as a dull red or maroon color.

According to witnesses, the driver stopped about a half-block past the accident site, got out to check for damage, then got back into the cab and drove off.

Mierzwa said it's unclear if the driver knew he'd hit someone, making the task of finding him even more difficult.

“If he didn't know he'd hit someone, he probably didn't tell anyone about it,” he said.

The driver is described as a white male, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with a “wiry” or thin build, a goatee and short brown or black hair.

Anyone with information that could help is asked to call Des Plaines police at (847) 391-5400.

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