A 48-year-old motorist who blew a red light and crashed into three other vehicles including a PACE bus injuring 14 people shot themselves to death Friday morning in Oak Park, according to police.
Thomas E. Cremeens was behind the wheel of a grey SUV with New Mexico plates and was southbound on Harlem Avenue when they drove through a red light at Lake Street about 9 a.m., according to police spokesperson Dan Yopchick, and witnesses.
A pedestrian was in the crosswalk at that moment, and Cremeens swerved out of their way and into the northbound lanes, where they crashed into three other vehicles including a PACE bus, according to Yopchick.
“The driver of the initial SUV then took out a gun and shot themselves in the head,” Yopchick said.
Cremeens, who Yopchick said has no history with Oak Park police was pronounced dead on the scene inside the crashed Toyota 4Runner by Oak Park fire department paramedics.
No one else was injured by gunfire, but about 14 other people, primarily from the PACE bus, were injured in the crash and taken to area hospitals. None suffered serious injuries, according to Yopchick.
A motive for the incident was not immediately known, though Yopchick said they were not being followed by law enforcement at the time.
