A man was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to slamming his truck into a gathering of people enjoying a picnic in Chicago’s Logan Square area in 2021.
Cook County Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer sentenced Timothy Nielsen on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the incident on Saturday, May 1, 2021. A woman was badly hurt when Nielsen hopped the curb and drove into the throng with his pickup truck.
Nielsen will receive credit for 999 days already served in jail.
According to police, Nielsen purposefully hopped the curb with his vehicle around 5:15 p.m. that May day and drove into a gathering of people gathered for a picnic on the 2900 block of West Logan Boulevard.
According to Cook County prosecutors, a group of people gathered in the grassy median on Logan Boulevard to celebrate someone’s birthday with a picnic. Nielsen drove up in his Ford F-150, stopped near the group, and began talking about their dogs’ behavior, according to authorities.
After the group responded to Nielsen, he reversed the pickup truck and put it in gear, speeding as he plowed right into the group, according to prosecutors.
The pickup truck did not immediately leap the curb, so Nielsen accelerated again, this time clearing the curb, and continued plowing into the gathering, damaging their personal goods, according to prosecutors.
He drove over bikes, chairs, and a Yeti cooler before hitting victims with the pickup truck, according to prosecutors.
First, Nielsen struck a fleeing victim, who sustained minor injuries and was treated on the scene, according to authorities. However, he then struck the woman, who was badly injured and had attempted to flee but ended up pinned under the truck, according to authorities.
As Nielsen impacted the woman, the group’s Yeti cooler became caught between the truck and the ground, preventing the truck from reaching any farther, according to authorities. But Nielsen continued to accelerate, attempting to run over the woman who was already pinned under the truck, according to authorities.
Police and paramedics responded to the site. The 42-year-old lady who was struck suffered serious injuries and was sent to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for treatment.
Meanwhile, Nielsen was apprehended on the spot, prosecutors added.
Officers also spoke with a witness who was watering flowers in the alley behind his home and stated that Nielsen had pulled into the lane and approached him before the incident, according to prosecutors. Nielsen questioned the man how long he had lived in the neighborhood and expressed concern about the “yuppies and their dogs in the park,” according to prosecutors.
He then yelled to the witness, “Watch what I’m going to do,” before ramming into the throng, according to prosecutors.
Leave a Reply