Man Charged With DUI After Crash With Squad Car
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A Northwest Side man has been charged with driving under the influence, as well as two other traffic offenses, after he sideswiped a Chicago Police squad car early Sunday. The two police officers in the squad car were taken to a nearby hospital, but they've since been treated and released.
The crash occurred in the 4900 block of North Pulaski about 12:44 a.m., according to police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.
A 1997 Ford Taurus driven by 31-year-old Joseph Mercado was heading south on Pulaski when he sideswiped the squad car, Mirabelli said. The two officers were taken to Resurrection Medical Center for evaluation, Mirabelli said. They were treated and released.
Mercado, of the 6200 block of North Nagle Avenue, was cited with DUI, driving without insurance, and failure to keep in the lane he was driving in, Mirabelli said.
That was the first of two accidents involving police squad cars on the Northwest Side about that time. A squad car responding to the crash on Pulaski was involved in an accident on the 4200 block of West Addison Street, Mirabelli said. The officers who were in that car did not require medical treatment.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
