Driver battered by passengers, crashes SUV into Brainerd home

A boy has been charged after a rideshare driver was battered by his passengers and crashed an SUV into a Brainerd neighborhood home early Monday on the South Side, police said.

The 17-year-old boy was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery, according to Chicago Police. His name was not released because of his age.

A self-employed 51-year-old man picked up five male passengers in the 1400 block of West 93rd Street and drove them around for at least three hours, police said.

When he got back to the pick-up location about 12:35 a.m., two of the passengers battered the driver’s face, police said. He accidentally pressed the gas pedal and the SUV crashed into a building in the 9300 block of South Laflin.

The man suffered minor facial injuries and was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, police said. Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Curtis Hudson initially said no injuries were reported in the crash.

One of the passengers — identified as the 17-year-old — was taken to Roseland Community Hospital for minor injuries, police said. He was taken into custody, but the other four passengers ran away.

Area South detectives were investigating.