A driver was arrested and an injured deer shot dead by a police officer after a Memorial Day collision between the vehicle and animal in front of the Dominick’s Finer Foods store on North Avenue in River Forest.
Jason Nawls, born in 1978, of the 4200 block of W. Kamerling in Chicago, was arrested for driving with a suspended driver’s license, after his vehicle struck a deer on the 7500 block of North Avenue at approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 30.
“The deer rolled on his windshield and basically totaled his car,” said River Forest Police Sergeant Michael Thornley.
“[The deer] was mortally wounded and needed to be euthanized because it was attempting to run back out into traffic,” Thornley said, adding that the animal was posing a safety threat to drivers and pedestrians in the area.
“There were a lot of people around at the time,” Thornley said.
An officer shot and killed the animal, which is how such situations are traditionally handled by the police department, Thornley said. He added that most deer and vehicle collisions occur in more remote areas of the village closer to Thatcher Woods.
The vehicle suffered significant damage, according to Thornley, and an ambulance responded to the scene, but Nawls refused transport to the hospital, receiving only minor treatment on the scene.
Nawls was subsequently arrested for driving with a suspended license.
