A driver fleeing a massive South Side street takeover in February 2023 lost control of his car, slammed into a utility pole and brick wall, and watched it burst into flames with three passengers trapped in the back seat. Vicente Rodriguez, an Aurora man, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday for the crash that killed Aurora residents Jose Manuel Velazquez, Joniel Gutierrez, and Salvador Garcia.
According to CWB Chicago, on February 18, 2023, over 100 cars gathered for a sideshow near 95th and Halsted in Washington Heights, when Chicago police intervened to disperse the throng. Rodriguez was speeding away from the incident in a 2008 Infiniti G35 when he collided with a utility pole at Halsted and 100th Street, then a light post and a brick wall. On contact, the automobile exploded into flames.
According to the police report reported by CWB Chicago, an officer heard a loud noise and discovered the Infiniti engulfed in flames. First responders extracted three individuals from the flaming car’s back seat, but all three were confirmed dead at the site. Rodriguez was discovered in critical condition and sent to Christ Hospital; he later self-admitted to being the driver of the flaming car, according to the report. A second individual, believed to be in the front passenger seat, left the area and was not found.
Rodriguez was recognized as the driver by Chicago police in their crash report, and he was apprehended only a block away on the night of the mishap, on the 10000 block of South Green Street, according to CWB Chicago’s previous coverage of the incident. Despite being arrested the same night, Rodriguez was not charged with a crime for nearly two years. He was arrested and charged with three charges of reckless homicide with a motor vehicle on December 20, 2024, in St. Charles, Illinois, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Prosecutors stated that Rodriguez had past major traffic charges in neighboring counties, including a DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. Rodriguez subsequently pled guilty to three counts of reckless homicide by motor vehicle, and Judge John Lyke sentenced him to nine years in jail, according to the outlet’s report.
Reckless homicide is a Class 3 felony in Illinois, with a normal sentence range of two to five years per count, according to Komie and Associates. However, under the same statutory structure, inmates convicted of Class 3 felony reckless homicide often qualify for day-to-day good conduct credit, which means Rodriguez must serve roughly half of his court-imposed sentence—about four and a half years, as detailed by DRD Law, LLC. A reckless murder conviction results in a mandatory license revocation, and Rodriguez will not be entitled to petition for reinstatement for at least 24 months after his release from custody, according to Frontline Legal.
The incident highlights what CWB Chicago views as the city’s continuous problem: sideshows, in which drivers of modified vehicles spin donuts in front of enormous crowds gathering at important junctions, which frequently materialize and disperse with little warning. Similar gatherings have continued to appear in Chicago’s outlying neighborhoods years after Rodriguez’s deadly crash, including a Pilsen takeover Hoodline detailed in a truck performing donuts around a throng and a Morgan Park gathering that generated over 170 emergency calls in minutes.
In response, city and state politicians have implemented new enforcement mechanisms. A Chicago municipal ordinance passed in July 2022 allows police to impound vehicles involved in street racing or drifting and levy fines of $5,000 to $10,000 against owners based on post-event video evidence, while Illinois state law makes participating in or facilitating an unsanctioned sideshow a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a $2,500 fine, and license revocation. A fresh state of legislation, Public Act 104-0063, went into effect on January 1, 2026, and allows cops to hold automobiles for up to five days after issuing citations for street racing, sideshows, or dangerous driving. In June 2026, Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez proposed a law that would fine parents up to $1,000 if their minor children commit crimes during takeovers, as well as adults up to $10,000 for promoting kid participation via social media.
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