Brookfield resident William D. Burke II, 44, was charged with aggravated assault, a felony, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and criminal damage to village property after he allegedly rammed two squad cars in an alley on Jan. 7 about 2:40 a.m.
An officer on patrol reported observing a 2007 Audi stopped, facing south, in the alley east of the 3800 block of Cleveland Avenue. Approaching the Audi, an officer observed the driver, later identified as Burke, slumped over in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was running and in gear, but Burke’s foot was on the brake.
The officer knocked on the window several times to rouse Burke, who eventually woke up, smiled gave a “peace” sign with his hand and slowly drove away, according to police.
As the vehicle headed south in the alley, a second Brookfield police officer turned into the alley from Southview Avenue to keep him from driving away. Then, according to police, Burke “smiled” at the oncoming squad car and accelerated, ramming the squad car head-on, pushing it over the curb and into the Sweetener Supply building across Southview Avenue.
A third officer arrived and positioned his vehicle facing eastbound on Southview Avenue and exited in order to get Burke’s attention. At that time, according to police, Burke quickly reversed and accelerated back into the alley, striking the first officer’s squad car before shifting again and accelerating forward. Burke’s vehicle then narrowly missed hitting the third officer, who was out of his vehicle and said he had to jump behind a tree for safety, before striking the Sweetener Supply building.
The three officers were able to get Burke out of his vehicle and arrested him. Police reported that Burke was “obviously” under the influence of alcohol and he was transported to Loyola University Medical Center, where his blood was drawn. His blood alcohol content reportedly was more than twice the legal limit of .08.
Two of the three police officers were also treated at local hospitals. One suffered an injured knee when Burke slammed into his squad car. The other reportedly experienced pain in his shin in addition to becoming light-headed and nauseous after the incident.
Woman charged with hit-and-run
Riverside police cited a 23-year-old woman with several traffic citations, including leaving the roadway, leaving the scene of an accident and damage to village property after she allegedly plowed her 2003 Mazda Tribute into a tree at the intersection of Park Place and Kimbark Road during the early morning hours of Jan. 6.
Officers responded to the scene of the crash at 3:05 a.m. after a resident who called to report the incident also stated a subject was seen fleeing down Woodside Road. Police could not locate any subject in the area but they did observe the Mazda, abandoned and smoking, on the sidewalk and parkway.
The vehicle was registered to a woman who lived on Forest Avenue, about a block away from the crash scene. When police went to the address, they observed a man in the courtyard of the building and located three female subjects in the foyer.
After interviewing the subjects, police learned that the group had been at a bar in Forest Park and were headed to the Forest Avenue apartment when the Mazda left the road and struck a tree.
The owner of the vehicle reportedly would not admit to driving the vehicle, saying that she remembered going to the bar and then realizing she was in the lobby of the apartment building, police said.
However, according to police, the group traveled back from the bar in two vehicles. The Mazda, with the owner and another male subject, was in the lead. A second vehicle, with a driver and two passengers, was following.
After the crash, the owner of the Mazda reportedly got into the second vehicle and left the scene. The male subject fled on foot.
Burglary
A resident of the 3200 block of Vernon Avenue, Brookfield, called police on the morning of Jan. 4, saying that her car, which was parked inside her locked garage overnight, had been broken into. Items from the glove box were found on the floor of the garage and two sets of car keys were missing from the center console.
A resident of the 4300 block of Blanchan Avenue, Brookfield, reported to police on Jan. 2 that his garage had been burglarized sometime in the past couple of days.
The service door had been forced open and a generator, a welder and a circular saw were taken.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Dec. 30, 2016 and Jan. 8, 2017, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
—Compiled by Bob Uphues
