Riverside police arrested a man April 27 for driving drunk after his car swerved into oncoming traffic and crashed involving two other vehicles.
According to police, officers were dispatched to Harlem Avenue, just south of the BNSF train tracks and just north of East Quincy Street, around 10:45 a.m. on a report of the crash. Two of the cars involved had single occupants – the drivers – while the third had a driver and two child passengers. Paramedics who arrived on the scene evaluated all five people; no injuries were reported and they all signed refusals of medical care.
Police said the driver whose car had child passengers told them she had been driving south on Harlem Avenue and had just crossed the railroad tracks when she saw a northbound car cross over the double yellow lines to enter her lane before striking her car head-on. Then, another car heading south struck her car from behind. The driver of that car said he witnessed the northbound car strike the other car head-on, but could not stop his car before it hit the other car from behind.
The driver of the northbound car told police he had been driving when he dropped his cell phone between his legs and that he must have veered into the oncoming lane when he reached down to grab it. The man also told police he is in a wheelchair and that he drives using hand controls.
While an officer assessed the damage to the northbound car, they reportedly saw an open bottle of Rémy Martin cognac and a can of Twisted Tea on the front passenger floor. Police later found a second open cognac bottle in the backseat. When the officer asked the driver if he had drunk that day, the man said he had done one shot of cognac around 7:30 a.m. The man volunteered to take a portable breath test, which showed .154 blood alcohol content.
The officer then ran the man’s information through the police database, which revealed he had never been issued a valid Illinois driver’s license and that “his status has since been suspended.” Police arrested the man for driving under the influence and transported to the North Riverside Police Department for processing. The man’s brother arrived on the scene of the crash to claim his wheelchair.
Police charged the man with the felony of aggravated driving under the influence due to his never being issued an Illinois driver’s license. The man was also issued several citations. He was later released, and a May 3 court date was set.
— Trent Brown
Car crash results in one driver in critical condition
A driver was in critical condition after a car crash April 26 on 31st Street and South 1st Avenue in Riverside.
The accident is under investigation, according to Matthew Buckley, Riverside’s director of public safety, and a crash reconstruction team was working Friday to determine how the incident happened.
The crash, which occurred around 5:13 a.m., also injured the other driver. That person was reported in stable condition. The person in critical condition is receiving treatment at Loyola University Medical Center, Buckley said.
No one has yet been charged or arrested in connection with this incident. Both vehicles involved have “substantial damage,” Buckley said.
Details about how the crash happened may take a few weeks as the crash reconstruction team works to determine speeds and direction of the cars and interview witnesses, he added.
— Luzane Draughon
Man arrested on felony charges after he crashes into the woods
Riverside police arrested a man on three felony charges and other counts after he crashed into a wooded area as he tried to elude them.
Reports show that police spotted the man driving 14mph over the speed limit just before 2 a.m., Saturday, April 27 near the area of South Harlem Avenue by Lindberg Road.
The man, driving a silver Toyota Camry, couldn’t stay in his own lane, so police, who had been following him, flashed their lights at Ogden Avenue and Pershing Road. He did not stop and sped up.
Police said that because of the road conditions and speed, they stopped the pursuit and turned off the lights at 44th and Harlem in Lyons. The man sped by and crashed into a wooded area at Harlem and Forest View Terminal Drive. Police approached the man, but he jumped out of the car and fled.
Lyons police, who assisted, stopped the man. Officers ran a search and learned that the man was driving on a revoked license that had been suspended for DUI and he had a warrant out of Kane County. The man was taken to lockup.
As police searched the car, they found a clear, plastic baggie of white powder that police suspected was cocaine. It later was measured at 40 grams. They also found a cork from a Patrón tequila bottle in the car and the discarded bottle outside.
At the police department, the man who was stumbling and couldn’t stay awake during questioning, declined a breath test.
He was ticketed for driving under the influence, illegally transporting alcohol and speeding. He was charged resisting a peace officer, a misdemeanor.
Police said the assistant state’s attorney also approved felony charges of aggravated driving on a revoked license, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Court dates are pending.
— Erika Hobbs
These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated April 27 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated April 29 to May 6; they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Correction, May 8, 2024, 9 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misstated when police were dispatched to a three-car crash April 27. The time was around 10:45 a.m.
