Joliet Man Choked, Dragged Brother Of Minooka Teen After Fatal Crash: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — A Joliet man charged after a crash that killed a Minooka teen Monday allegedly grabbed and choked the boy's brother as the teen's body laid in the street, prosecutors said.

Maxie Robinson, 38, is charged with aggravated DUI in connection with the crash that killed Devin C. Davis at West Jefferson and North Hickory streets Monday night. He's also charged with battery in what prosecutors said Wednesday was an attack on Davis' brother at the crash scene.

Police said Tuesday that Davis was piloting a dirt bike eastbound on West Jefferson Street approaching North Hickory Street alongside two other dirt bikes driven by his brother and a friend. Witnesses said Davis ran a red light and entered the intersection, where he was struck by a Chevrolet Impala driven by Maxie Robinson, 38, of Joliet. Police said Robinson had the green light.

In a petition to deny pre-trial release Wednesday, prosecutors said a witness told police that Robinson had been traveling at a high rate of speed, allegedly passing him going 50 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to the petition.

Another witness described seeing the dirt bike "weaving in and out of traffic." Davis' brother told police he had seen the traffic light turn yellow and had warned Davis to slow down, but Davis continued through the light. Robinson then hit the dirt bike as Davis ran a red light, according to court documents.

After initial impact, police said Robinson then also struck an unoccupied vehicle that was legally parked on North Hickory Street.

Robinson then allegedly got out of his car and "began choking Davis' brother, impeding his breathing, and dragged him to the corner of Hickory and Jefferson by his arms," according to the petition. He then released Davis' brother and attacked another unrelated person, prosecutors said.

Robinson showed signs of impairment at the scene, police said, with a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath, bloodshot/watery eyes and slurred speech, according to prosecutors. He told police he'd had two shots of 99 Apple, and police found open beer in his car, prosecutors said.

Robinson failed field sobriety tests, prosecutors said, and said he didn't remember the instructions because he had smoked marijuana.

According to court documents, a breathalyzer measured his BAC at .184. Blood and urine samples were taken at the hospital; those results are still pending.

Prosecutors argue Robinson's speeding while driving under the influence as the "proximate cause" of Davis' death.

Robinson is also a convicted sex offender for a crime in Cook County, prosecutors said. In 2005, he was found guilty of failure to register in Will County. He was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In 2006, he was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault in a Cook County incident, and sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

After his release in 2015, he was convicted of resisting a peace officer, again in Cook County.

Then in 2023, he pleaded guilty to intimidation charges. In that incident, he threatened a dollar store employee before stealing from the business, as reported by Shaw Local. He was sentenced to probation, which ended in April 2025.

Prosecutors Wednesday said that Robinson posed a threat to others' safety and is a flight risk.

Judge Donald DeWilkins denied pre-trial release for Robinson. He's next due in court July 15.