DUI Driver Crashes Into Squad Car In Lake Forest: State Police

LAKE FOREST, IL — A Wisconsin man faces felony charges after police said he was intoxicated when he smashed into a parked Illinois State Police squad car early Friday on Interstate 94 in Lake Forest.

Shortly before 12:30 a.m., a state trooper was parked in a white, marked squad car in the center crossover just south of Route 60, according to police and fire officials. Clyde Maki, 50, of the 1800 block of 104th Street in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, was driving a white Ford Econoline van in the inbound lanes when he drove onto the shoulder and crashed into the squad car, according to state police.

Lake Forest Fire Department Battalion Chief Cory Kazimour was one of the first responders on the scene. When he arrived, the trooper appeared to be stuck inside his squad car and the other other vehicle was laying on its passenger side, he said. Arriving police officers were able to pry open the door without the use of special equipment.

Crews from the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District were called to assist, handling the outbound side of the freeway and transporting the state trooper to an area hospital while Lake Forest rescuers transported Maki to hospital, Kazmiour said. Maki suffered non-life threatening injuries from the crash, according to state police.

About a dozen police cars from local departments responded to the scene. Kazmiour said the center lanes on both directions of I-94 were closed until around 2 a.m., but at no point were all lanes on the tollway closed.

State police identified the trooper as Christopher Karabin, 50, of Arlington Heights. He was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital Friday, state police said.

According to state police, Lake County prosecutors approved felony charges of aggravated DUI, aggravated driving with a license suspended and "numerous" other unspecified traffic citations.

On Thursday, a Kenosha County judge granted a temporary restraining order against Maki in connection with allegations of domestic abuse, according to court records. Lake County court records show he pleaded guilty in 2013 to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a revoked license in connection with a June 2010 incident.

So far in 2019, at least a dozen state police squad cars have been struck by other drivers while on duty. Illinois State Police last week noted that rate equates to one squad car struck every 5.5 days.

A Wisconsin accountant faces reckless homicide charges in connection with the Jan. 12 death of Trooper Christopher Lambert, 34, of Highland Park, who was fatally struck while assisting motorists in snowy conditions on Interstate 294.

Representatives from the Illinois State Police and the Lake County State's Attorney's office have not responded to requests for more details. More information may be added should it become available.