09-03-2025
Men charged after hit-and-run leaves 9-year-old boy hurt in Chicago's north suburbs
Two people were arrested in Chicago's far north suburbs this weekend after police said were involved in two separate hit-and-run crashes — one of which left a 9-year-old boy hurt.
At 4:55 p.m. Saturday, Lake County Sheriff's police were called for a hit-and-run at O'Plaine Road and Route 137 near Green Oaks, Illinois. Deputies found out a silver pickup truck had hit a car and fled the scene, police said.
The 9-year-old boy suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, police said.
Police learned the same pickup truck had been involved in a separate hit-and-run earlier at O'Plaine Road and Route 120 in Waukegan. The driver also fled that scene and illegally passed another vehicle in doing so — nearly running that vehicle off the road, police said.
As the pickup truck sped past, someone inside took out a gun and fired two shots, though it was not clear where the shots were aimed, police said.
Lake County Sheriff's 911 Telecommunicators issued a description of the vehicle and the suspects. A Highland Park police officer found the pickup truck near Route 41 and Deerfield Road and held both suspects until Lake County Sheriff's deputies arrived.
The driver of the pickup truck, Paul Zawojski, 29, and the passenger, Chase Parthe, 31, both of Park Ridge, were arrested and charged. Sheriff's deputies found a 9mm pistol and narcotics in the pickup truck, police said.
Parthe was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm, and unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, Xanax, Adderall, and cannabis. Zawojski was charged with unlawful possession of cocaine and ticketed for failure to report a crash causing injury, open transportation of alcohol, and multiple traffic violations.
