Eldor Akilov
A Cook County judge issued a warrant Wednesday for a Florida man who failed to show up for the second day of his trial on charges related to a January 2020 crash that claimed the life of a Des Plaines man and injured his then 10-year-old son.
Prosecutors say Eldor Akilov, 37, was drunk and driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit northbound on Route 83 (also known as Elmhurst Road) shortly after 7 p.m. Jan. 5, 2020, when his Chevrolet Impala slammed into a car driven by Alejandro Arzeta, killing the 46-year-old father of four.
Akilov’s jury trial began Tuesday with testimony from an Endeavor Northwest Community Hospital emergency room physician and a nurse who said the defendant was intoxicated when they treated him for injuries he suffered in the crash.
Akilov had a blood-alcohol level of .220 — nearly three times the legal limit of .08 — according to medical reports. At the time of the crash, he was driving between 85 and 92 mph in a 35 mph zone, prosecutors said.
“He (Akilov) never even hit the brakes,” said Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Nancy Nazarian during opening statements Tuesday.
Akilov’s car spun and caught fire after the collision, authorities said. Two teenage employees from a nearby Boston Market raced from the restaurant to pull Akilov from the burning vehicle.
The teens, Ben Pennino, then 17, and Ryan Brock, then 18, later received lifesaving awards from the Mount Prospect Fire Department for their heroic actions.
Court records show Cook County Judge Paul Pavlus, who is presiding over the trial in Skokie’s Second Municipal District Courthouse, issued the warrant Wednesday.