CHICAGO — A Cook County judge set bond at $5,000 on Tuesday for a Grubhub delivery driver accused of running over a Lakeview restaurant worker Friday and driving off before police arrived.
Aamir Mohammed, 30, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene and driving without ever having been issued a license, according to a Chicago Police news release.
Judge Mary Marubio, highlighting that Mohammed left the scene of such a violent incident, also ordered electronic monitoring should he meet bail.
“He must know that this person was injured after being struck by the car two separate times,” Marubio said in court.
The incident happened 6:18 p.m. outside Ms. T’s Southern Fried Chicken, 3343 N. Broadway. It was caught on video.
Mohammed was picking up and delivering orders for Grubhub — but he did not actually work for the service and was using another person’s account, “which is a fraudulent misuse of our platform,” a spokeswoman for the delivery company said in a statement.
Mohammed was asked to wait outside until the food was ready in order to comply with the state’s social distancing restrictions because of coronavirus, Assistant States Attorney James Murphy said. He then “aggressively kicked the front glass door” and returned to his car.
Bijan Choya Early, 24, followed Mohammed out of Ms. T’s with her mother, Angenita Tanner, who owns the restaurant, Murphy said. Mohammed tried to drive away, but Early stood in front of the vehicle while her mother called the police.
Mohammed started yelling at them and threatened to run them over with his car, Murphy said. Another customer waiting for food outside the restaurant saw the altercation and started filming with his cellphone.
In the video, an exasperated Early and her mother can be heard telling Mohammed, “We’re waiting on the police for you, baby, because you just kicked our door. This is too much disrespect that we get on a day-to-day, and we’re just trying to be essential workers and feed people. This is ridiculous.”
Mohammed hit the gas, driving into Early and dragging her about 20–30 feet “with her body on the hood of the car and legs underneath,” Murphy said.
After Early fell off the car, Mohammed sped forward a second time and ran her over, Murphy said.
Mohammed fled the scene, but then turned himself in at the Chicago Police Department’s Town Hall District about 10:50 p.m. Saturday.
Early was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center with two broken shoulders, a broken arm, broken pelvis, a laceration to her head and bruising throughout the body, Murphy said. She was still hospitalized Tuesday after having surgery to her pelvis and arm.
Murphy said Mohammed’s car is registered to a company that loans vehicles to delivery drivers, and that he has never received a valid driver’s license.
The Grubhub spokeswoman said the company’s thoughts are with Early and “we wish her a speedy recovery.”
“We have terminated the contract of the driver who owned the account and banned him permanently from our platform,” the spokeswoman said. “We support efforts to prosecute both the individual charged with the crime and the driver who owned the account to the full extent of the law.
“We run rigorous background and motor vehicle checks before contracting with any driver, among other security features. We are committed to continuously reviewing and evolving our practices to prevent fraud and ensure safety and security for the Grubhub community.”
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