Man Accused Of Dining & Dashing Over $37 Before Crashing Into Ambulance
Munster- A Hazel Crest, Illinois man identified as Raymond Charles Clark, 25, is charged after police say he left El Salto restaurant in Munster without paying, fled from officers at high speed, and crashed into an ambulance carrying a patient, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lake County.
Around 8:50 p.m. on December 7, 2025, an assistant manager at El Salto, located in the 9600 block of Calumet Avenue, reported that a male and female ordered two taco dinners totaling more than $37, then got up, walked past the point of sale, and left without paying. The pair ran toward Calumet Avenue and left in a white Mercedes SUV with Illinois plates, according to the affidavit.
A Munster officer driving north on Calumet Avenue near Fran Lin Parkway said he saw a white Mercedes matching that description traveling south. When he made a U-turn, the vehicle allegedly took off at an extremely high rate of speed southbound on Calumet.
With lights and siren activated, the officer said the Mercedes ran a red light turning west onto 45th Street and accelerated to nearly 80 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone, passing several vehicles during the pursuit.
While westbound on 45th Street, the Mercedes attempted to overtake a Superior Ambulance traveling in the same direction but struck the rear driver’s side of the ambulance, the affidavit states. The vehicle did not stop and continued westbound until it became disabled just east of the railroad tracks due to front-end damage.
Inside the ambulance was a patient who appeared in immense pain,struggled to speak after the crash, and had to be returned to the hospital for evaluation.
Charges filed December 9,2025:
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Vehicle Operation Creating Substantial Risk of Injury (Level 5 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Causing Moderate Bodily Injury (Level 5 Felony)
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident With Moderate or Serious Bodily Injury (Level 6 Felony)
• Conversion (Class A Misdemeanor)
