Wheeling hit-and-run victim dies. Police say suspect may have fled country

This story has been updated to clarify the relationship between the victim and suspect.

A 21-year-old Wheeling man who was the victim of a hit-and-run crash earlier this month has died from his injuries, and police believe the driver of the vehicle has fled the country.

Officials from the Cook County medical examiner's office reported Alan Yanez-Perdomo died Wednesday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Wheeling police said Yanez-Perdomo had been hospitalized since Sept. 5, after he was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Wolf Road and Strong Avenue early that morning.

Deputy Police Chief Al Steffen said investigators were called to the intersection just before 1 a.m. for a report of a single-vehicle crash.

Upon arrival, the officer noted damage to the windshield of an abandoned Ford Escape found just north of the intersection. The officer, who was trained in crash reconstruction, believed the damage to the vehicle was consistent with the striking of a pedestrian.

The officer then began searching the area for a victim and located Yanez-Perdomo in a ditch about 200 yards from the Escape, Steffen said.

Yanez-Perdomo was breathing at the scene but never regained consciousness, police said.

Police investigators determined the Escape belonged to Rolando Bello-Flores, who also lived in Wheeling at the time and is related to Yanez-Perdomo through marriage.

Steffen described the relationship between the two men as "volatile."

Investigators later located video surveillance from the area that showed Yanez-Perdomo being struck by the vehicle, Steffen said.

He noted there were "no skid marks" at the location where Yanez-Perdomo was struck.

"We believe (Bello-Flores) intentionally ran him over after an argument," Steffen said.

Steffen said video evidence showed the Escape pass Yanez-Perdomo, turn around and then strike him.

Investigators believe Bello-Flores, a Mexican national, has fled back to Mexico. Police are working with federal authorities to seek his arrest in Mexico and eventual extradition to the U.S., where he is wanted on a warrant alleging he left the scene of an accident causing personal injury.

The charges may be upgraded now that Yanez-Perdomo has died, authorities said.