Dolton police enforcing traffic safety after teen killed in hit-and-run

Law enforcement is cracking down on speeding in the village after a driver struck and killed a teenager on her way to work.

By Amethyst J. Davis

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April 3, 2026

Martin Luther King, Drive in Dolton, as shown facing north. Screen grab from Google Maps

Officers with the Dolton Police Department are cracking down on speeding along bustling corridors after a driver struck and killed a teenager March 30.

Lania Smith, 18, was making a bus transfer on her way to work when a driver hit her on Sibley Blvd. and King, Dr. The driver kept going. She was a student at Chicago’s Hyde Park Academy High School.

In response, law enforcement officials are enforcing traffic rules along Sibley Blvd., from King, Dr. to Cottage Grove Ave.

According to a village spokesperson, investigators have identified and are searching for the vehicle as part of an ongoing and active investigation: a 2007 red Chevrolet Corvette with a black top. It has an Illinois license plate: FR 56003.

Smith’s aunt Shaliah Maddox has organized a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs. It has raised over $4,000 to date. Trustee Kiana Belcher mobilized eight businesses to raise an additional $2,000.

Author

Amethyst J. Davis

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication. Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She was previously a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Amethyst is a 2023 Leader of a New Chicago award recipient, as recognized by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 and 2024 Nieman Lab prediction. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation’s most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University’s Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

A Harvey native, Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School (’11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA’19). She is an alumna of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.