Man Who Drove Through Children's Triathlon Held On $500K Bail: Police

WAUCONDA, IL — A 41-year-old Wauconda man faces reckless driving and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle charges for allegations he accelerated his vehicle past barricades set up to keep drivers away from a children's triathlon on Saturday.

Officers were blocking off the intersection of Garland and Bonner roads for the triathlon when a custom 2008 Ford Mustang GT pulled up to the intersection and went past the barricades, according to a news release from the Wauconda Police Department.

A marked squad car turned on the vehicle's emergency lights, and uniformed officers yelled for the driver to stop, but the driver continued south on Garland Road slaloming through traffic cones at a high rate of speed. At the time, there were children in the southbound lanes of traffic participating in the triathlon.

The driver then sped past another officer and was eventually stopped by other officers at Garland Road and Winding Lane, according to a news release.

The man, who has been identified as Jack Hazen, 41, of 133 W. Church St., was taken into custody without incident.

He's been charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, reckless driving, improper lane traffic usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. His bail has been set at $500,000, and Hazen remained behind bars as of late Monday morning, according to online jail records.