COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Little Village man struck a pedestrian, crashed into a CTA bus and broke into a stranger's house when he led police on a wild West Side chase Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
Anthony Thomas, 22, told police he smokes marijuana every day when he wakes up — and Wednesday was no different, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said in court Thursday.
Thomas' pregnant girlfriend and 1-year-old daughter were sitting in the front passenger seat of his car during the chase, which cut through Austin and Humboldt Park, police said.
The girlfriend, 18-year-old Brianna Courts, was carrying a backpack stuffed with 15 grams of marijuana and 22 additional marijuana baggies with dollar-sign logos, court records show.
Both parents appeared in bond court Thursday, where they were hit with myriad charges, including child endangerment.
The chase started shortly before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when police spotted a 1989 Mercedes swerving near Le Claire and Wabansia avenues, according to an arrest report.
When officers activated their lights and siren, Thomas sped off, the report said. He didn't stop until he struck a 59-year-old female pedestrian near Chicago and Pulaski, officials said.
According to Scaduto, the woman rolled onto the hood of Thomas' car, and fell back to the ground when he slammed on his brakes. The impact broke the woman's arm, prosecutors said, and fractured her pelvis in three places.
Thomas drove around the woman and kept heading north on Pulaski until he slammed into a CTA bus at Pulaski and Augusta, Scaduto said. Several passengers reported minor injuries.
At that point, Thomas and Courts took off running, the arrest report said. It's unclear whether they left their daughter behind in the car.
Police noted that the girl was never strapped into a child safety seat. Instead, Courts, who is six months pregnant, held her in her lap, officials said.
Police found Thomas two blocks away after he allegedly broke into a house in the 900 block of North Harding Avenue. Police said he damaged six doors, a porch window and a basement door, and he was arrested on the second floor.
Thomas' eyes were bloodshot and glassy, police said, and he was carrying $778 cash. Thomas gave conflicting information about where he got the money, police said.
Courts, meanwhile, ran into a laundromat at 957 N. Pulaski Road, court records show. Police said the key to the Mercedes was stuffed in her bra, and her backpack was full of marijuana.
Courts, who lives with Thomas in the 2200 block of South Springfield Avenue, was charged with child endangerment and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Thomas was charged with aggravated DUI, child endangerment, fleeing police, marijuana possession, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to property and six counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
He was also cited for not having a driver's license, insurance or registration, and for not stopping at a stop sign.
Cook County Judge James Brown ordered Thomas held in lieu of $50,000 bail. Courts was released on her own recognizance.
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