DUI Driver Strikes Detective's Car, Flees, Crashes Again: LCSO

WAUKEGAN, IL — A drunken driver crashed into a detective's car and drove away before wrecking during a pursuit Monday in Waukegan, authorities said.

Alan Ortiz, 28, of the 2600 block of West Florida Avenue, Waukegan, was driving a Nissan Altima that made a wide turn at at Sheridan Road and Washington Avenue and struck the driver's side of a detective's Dodge Charger around 8:45 p.m., according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Ortiz put the Nissan in reverse and fled the scene of the crash after the detective turned on the Dodge's emergency lights, according to Sgt. Chris Covelli.

The detective chased Ortiz about 1.5 miles north and arrested him near the intersection of North Avenue and Douglas Street after Ortiz drove the Nissan into a curb during the pursuit, disabling it, Covelli said.

Ortiz was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing to elude, a class 4 felony, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater, both misdemeanors. He was also issued traffic citations for no insurance, leaving the scene of a crash and running two stop signs.

At a bond hearing Tuesday, a judge ordered Ortiz held at Lake County Jail in lieu of the $5,000 cash portion of his bail. He is due back in court Monday.