Elgin cab driver charged after chase

An Elgin man fled an undercover drug sting Thursday, ran over an officer's foot and eventually crashed his taxi into a police van, officials said Tuesday.

Rigoberto Beicza, 44, of 663 Wing St. #3 in Elgin, was charged in court Tuesday with delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, three counts of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of aggravated battery.

Undercover Elgin officers arranged to buy 28.8 grams of cocaine for $900 from Beicza, a cab driver, at 9:45 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of an east-side grocery store, police said.

At some point during the drug transaction, Beicza became nervous and drove off in his cab, police said.

He drove over the left foot of officer John Rustay in his attempt to escape, police said.

A chase on Elgin's east side ensued and ended when the taxi crashed head-on into the van that was supposed to hold Beicza after he was arrested, police said.

Beicza was hospitalized at Sherman Hospital and couldn't talk at Tuesday's bond hearing because his jaw had been wired shut.

Five of the drug charges against Beicza came from a previous Elgin warrant and three charges stemmed from Thursday's incident, police said.

Beicza was unable to post a total of $55,000 on the charges and was taken to the Kane County jail Tuesday afternoon. He is scheduled to appear next at a preliminary hearing on July 9 at the Kane County Judicial Center.