Man Spits Twice On Darien Cop After Crash: Police

DARIEN, IL — A Homer Glen man twice spat at a Darien police officer as the police tried to take him into custody last week after a hit-and-run crash, according to a report.

Frederick W. Lauer, 26, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery, among others. He was taken to the DuPage County Jail.

Patch obtained the full police report on the incident.

Late the morning of Oct. 25, police were notified that a driver of a pickup truck, later identified as Lauer, struck a utility pole at 83rd Street and Lemont Road and drove away, according to the report. Police said they also found that Lauer snapped a sign in half and damaged a fence.

They found Lauer soon afterward at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant, 1999 75th St. in neighboring Woodridge, where he had the pickup's hood up, police said.

According to the report, when officers tried to take Lauer into custody, he spat directly in one of their faces and yelled, "What? You can't put me down, b----!" Officer said they took Lauer to the ground.

When they put Lauer into a police car, he again spat in the same officer's face, police said. A spit hood was placed on him. Police found an open bottle of vodka in his car, the report said.

In a police interview, Lauer admitted the crash, saying, "It's all my fault. I take full responsibility," the report said. He said he had stopped at a Lemont liquor store to buy the vodka, then planned to find a pawnshop in Woodridge or Bolingbrook to sell some of his ex-girlfriend's jewelry, police said.

Lauer apologized for spitting at the Darien officer and that he thought he was only spitting at and fighting with Woodridge police, whom he said he did not like, police said.

Lauer told Darien police that he spit at the officer to provoke a reaction and had fully expected to be punched by the officer, which Lauer said would make himself look better or less guilty, according to the report.

Besides aggravated battery, Lauer was also charged with resisting arrest, failure to give information to an owner after striking unattended property, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and possession of alcohol by a driver.