A Savoy man has been sentenced to one month of jail time and 30 months of probation following a 2022 hit-and-run incident that went viral.
Judge Randy Rosenbaum issued the sentence to Brendan Trumann, 21, on Thursday, after he drove under the influence and ran over a victim twice with his car on June 26, 2022, outside of Joe’s Brewery in Campustown.
Trumann, who was 19 at the time of the incident, was charged with three felonies, including aggravated DUI involving great bodily harm, aggravated reckless driving and aggravated leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.
The victim of the hit-and-run, 20-year-old Myelz Davis of Gibson City and supposed friend of Trumann, was reportedly “thankful to be alive” following the horrifying ordeal.
Davis suffered a traumatic brain injury, along with second and third-degree burns on his arms and legs. He also underwent five hours of surgery to repair a jaw broken in three different places.
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The night of the incident, Trumann was asked to leave Joe’s by manager Michael Waltz after causing a disturbance. Waltz told WCIA that Trumann then made threats to “shoot the place up,” pulled out what looked like a gun and pointed it at other guests. After the police were called, Trumann left and retrieved his car to pick up his friends.
The hit-and-run, captured on video just before 2 a.m., shows Trumann recklessly driving a black Dodge Charger surrounded by a group of people, as Davis approaches the driver’s side window. Reports indicate that Davis attempted to calm Trumann and persuade him not to drive. Davis testified that the two were acquaintances.
Accounts of the interaction vary, with Trumann testifying that Davis reached inside the car and hit him twice — a claim disputed by both Davis and his friend that was present, Reid Hebert. However, Keegan Boyle, a longtime friend of Trumann, and another witness, Jackson Glenn, testified that they saw Davis flailing his arms or punching into the driver’s side window.
Shortly after the conversation, a man exited the passenger side door, later identified as Devin Espeland. A fight broke out between Espeland and the victim outside of the car, where Espeland punched Davis in the face, knocking him to the ground in front of the vehicle.
The cellphone footage then shows Davis on the ground in front of the car, the car accelerating forward and catching Davis under or within its wheels. As the surrounding crowd yells for the driver to stop, the car reverses a few feet, accelerates forward and runs over Davis again.
After fleeing the scene, Trumann went on to crash and abandon his car at Mt. Hope Cemetery just over a mile away, damaging several headstones. Police arrested Trumann in the parking lot of his apartment complex after he admitted to driving the car.
Champaign Police Officer Matthew Silver testified that he and two other officers had been outside Trumann’s last known address at around 6 a.m. Body camera footage from Silver showed a man approaching the officers, identifying himself as Trumann and explaining he had been at Joe’s the previous night. Trumann stated he left because a group of people had followed him outside, making him uncomfortable.
Trumann then told the officers that he was surrounded by a group of threatening men in ski masks, saying that he was “pretty much forced” to drive.
During Thursday’s sentencing, Trumann admitted he had been under the influence that night, saying he couldn’t “recall” how many drinks he had consumed.
Jennifer Snyder, Trumann’s defense attorney, argued for probation, explaining that previous legal counsel had instructed Trumann to be “vague” when answering during pre-sentencing evaluations.
Trumann’s defense also cited the 20 mitigation letters written by Trumann’s family and friends, with claims that Trumann has matured and is remorseful for what happened.
“I can’t imagine what he’s gone through, and I wish I could take all the pain and terrible experiences away that I’ve caused him,” Trumann said, addressing the victim and the court. “I wish nothing but a healthy life for him and the rest of his family.”
Trumann received probation along with a 30-day jail term. Although Rosenbaum sentenced him to 180 days in jail, Trumann was credited for having already served 88 days after his arrest in 2022.
Trumann must also adhere to several conditions: abstinence from drugs and alcohol, electronic monitoring whenever he leaves Illinois and completing 100 hours of community service.
