LAKE COUNTY, IL — A man accused of beating his 19-year-old pregnant girlfriend, and her mother, has been arrested.
Felix James Jr., 22, of Zion, now faces charges of aggravated battery to a pregnant woman, aggravated fleeing and eluding, two counts of domestic battery and several traffic violations in connection with the Wednesday evening incident.
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The charges stem from a Wednesday evening police call. Police say a 43-year-old woman called to report James beat her daughter, a 19-year-old woman, before fleeing the home in the 18500 block of West Old Gages Lake Road in unincorporated Grayslake with the teen in the car. He also beat the mother, she told authorities.
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A witness told police they saw James punching his girlfriend while driving his Chevrolet HHR on Hunt Club Road in the area of Route 120. A deputy spotted James’ Chevrolet and tried to pull him over, but, instead of pulling over, James fled and headed east on Gages Lake Road, police said.
James continued to flee police and ran a red light before he was hit by a Chevrolet Silverado. Two other vehicles, a Honda Odyssey and a Subaru Outback, were involved in that collision as well, according to a news release.
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The pregnant girlfriend was rescued and taken to an area hospital for an evaluation of her unborn child, police said. Christopher Covelli, deputy chief with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said the 19-year-old woman was treated and released from the hospital.
Deputies took James into custody and took him to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the Honda, a 51-year-old Park City won, and the driver of the Silverado, a 21-year-old Round Lake Beach man, were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, according to authorities.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office is filing a petition to detain James in custody during his court proceedings. Meanwhile, the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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