A woman was arrested Tuesday on charges that she was driving and livestreaming herself on TikTok when she struck and killed a man last month, police in Zion, Illinois, said.
Tynesha McCarty-Rotten, 43, attacked and killed Darren Lucas, 59, on Nov. 3 as he was walking home after finishing his shift at a local grocery store, police said in a statement. Zion is a city of about 25,000 on the shore of Lake Michigan just south of the Wisconsin border.
McCarty-Rotten told investigators she thought she had a green light, but police said a review of video from nearby businesses showed the light was red when she went through the intersection. According to the statement, she remained at the scene after the incident and cooperated with police but refused to allow investigators to search her cellphone.
An 8-year-old child was also in the vehicle with her at the time of the crash, both of whom were checked over and later refused medical attention, police said.
“In the days following the accident, several members of the public reached out to Zion investigators to notify them of a TikTok video purportedly showing Ms. McCarty-Rotten live-streaming herself driving at the time of the accident,” the statement said.
Police said the video was confirmed and he was arrested on Tuesday on charges of negligent homicide and aggravated use of an electronic communication device.
McCarty-Rotten was being held without bail Wednesday, according to online jail records from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
A lawyer representing him, court records show, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on his behalf.
Lucas was walking to catch the bus home from work when he was fatally struck at an intersection, NBC Chicago reported In November, citing police.
Sandra Williams, who works with Lucas at Torres Fresh Market in Zion, told the station she is heartbroken.
“I was devastated when I got the news and I’m still devastated,” Williams said at the time.
