Off Duty Deputy Charged With Easter Sunday Crash That Sent 6 to the hospital
An off duty Will County Sheriff’s Deputy is charged with a felony in connection to a pursuit of a vehicle that let to a crash seriously injuring six people, including two children on Easter Sunday.
It was on Sunday, April 4th at about 3:30 in the afternoon when Joliet Police Officers responded to the area of Route 30 (Plainfield Road) and North Frederick Street for a report of a traffic crash with injuries. Prior to the accident, a traffic incident occurred between a 20 year old George Joseph Kou-Kou and an off duty sheriff’s deputy, 38-year-old Andrew Schwartz. The deputy pursued the sedan for several miles as the Plainfield driver was traveling along Route 30 at a high rate of speed. In the indictment it states that “Schwartz pursued a car driven by George Kou-Kou for more than 10 minutes, pursing Kou-Kou’s car eastbound on Route 30, onto I-80 onto Chicago Street Southbound, onto northbound Gardner Street.”
Schwartz has been charged with one felony count of aggravated reckless driving causing great bodily injury.
Ultimately the chase ended when Kou-Kou’s car crashed into oncoming traffic at Plainfield Road and Frederick Street in Joliet, hitting another vehicle driven by Phillip Juarez of New Lenox. The vehicle occupied by his wife and two teenage sons. In total six people suffered serious injuries including fractured clavicle, perforated bowel, plus fractured hand hernia and pulmonary embolism.
Kou-Kou also was indicted Wednesday on a charge of aggravated reckless driving.
While the Will County Sheriff’s office conducts an internal investigation, Deputy Sheriff Schwartz has been placed on administrative leave.