Tynesha McCarty-Wroten was arrested last Tuesday and charged with two felonies in connection to the Nov. 3 crash that killed Darren Lucas, police say.<\/b>
\nA driver who was livestreaming herself on TikTok allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in north suburban Zion last month.
Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, 43, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with two felonies in connection to the Nov. 3 crash that killed Darren Lucas, 59, according to a statement from the Zion Police Department.
Within an hour of the arrest warrant being signed, police said they arrested McCarty-Wroten, known to her online followers as Tea Tyme, as she left her home with several packed bags.
On the evening of the crash, Lucas was returning to his Beach Park home after finishing work at a nearby grocery story, police said.
McCarty-Wroten ran a red light on Sheridan Road and hit Lucas as he walked across Sheridan at the intersection with 33rd Street, police said.
McCarty-Wroten was driving with an 8-year-old child in the car at the time of the crash, police said. She provided a statement to police and submitted to a blood and urine test, which is standard in fatal crashes, police said.
Surveillance video of the crash shows her driving near the speed limit and not appearing to slow down before the impact, police said. She was asked but declined to allow detectives to search her cellphone, police said.
In the days following the crash, residents told investigators about a TikTok video that allegedly shows McCarty-Wroten livestreaming herself at the time of the crash.
Video of the incident, copies of which have been shared by several accounts, appears to show McCarty-Wroten speaking in the car before a thud is heard and she screams. The child asks, \u201cWhat was that?\u201d She replies, \u201cI hit somebody,\u201d before ending the video.
Police said video of the livestream was recovered though search warrants. After McCarty-Wroten later surrendered her phone through her attorney, forensic analysis confirmed the video was recorded at the time of the crash, police said.
McCarty-Wroten\u2019s lawyer, Jed Stone, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
McCarty-Wroten is charged with two felony counts: reckless homicide and aggravated use of an electronic communication device. She appeared in court and was released pending trial, court records show. She is due back in court Jan. 27.<\/p>\n