Asleep at the wheel? Driver cited after self-driving Tesla rear-ends police SUV

Driving on Autopilot might provide a nice break from battling through traffic, but it’s no excuse for a nap.

A suburban driver learned that the hard way this month when, authorities say, he fell asleep at the wheel of his self-driving Tesla before it slammed into the rear of a police SUV.

Fortunately, neither he nor the officers involved suffered serious injuries, but the Lake in the Hills man now faces legal consequences.

According to police reports, it all happened at about 10:35 p.m. Oct. 15 as Joseph Fresso, 43, was in a 2022 Tesla Model Y headed east on Algonquin Road (Route 62), near Penny Road. At the same time, a pair of South Barrington police SUVs were pulled over, with their emergency lights on, conducting a traffic investigation, officials said.

The Tesla struck the rear one of the police vehicles, pushing it into the Mack truck that had been stopped by officers, according to a Barrington Hills police report.

Fresso, the report states, later admitted he had fallen asleep with his vehicle in self-driving mode and woke up too late to avoid the collision.

Two South Barrington officers and the truck’s driver were taken by ambulance to Ascension St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries. They were later released.

Barrington Hills police, who were called in to investigate, cited Fresso for violating “Scott’s Law,” which requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle, and for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Police said officers also discovered a loaded pistol in Fresso’s belongings. Because he did not hold a valid Firearm Owner Identification Card, he was charged with misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.

Fresso is scheduled to appear in Cook County court on Dec. 3, police said.

South Barrington police took to Facebook to remind drivers that they’re required to remain alert and attentive at all times, even when using Autopilot systems.

“Technology continues to evolve and can enhance safety when used properly,” Deputy Chief Adam Puralewski said in the post. “However, it’s important to remember that drivers are still responsible for the safe operation of their vehicles at all times.”

Decision time in cop’s shooting

It’s hard to believe it has been four years already since a Bensenville police officer was shot more than a half-dozen times in the line of duty.

The case may come to a resolution of sorts next week, when a discharge hearing will take place for Kiante Tyler, the man accused of trying to murder officer Steven Kotlewski.

Tyler’s lawyers contend that he was legally insane when the shooting took place at his apartment Nov. 6, 2021. He already has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial.

At the hearing set to begin Monday, prosecutors will present evidence against Tyler, and his lawyers will present evidence of insanity.

DuPage County Judge Joseph Bugos then will have three options: find Tyler not guilty; find him not guilty by reason of insanity; or decide not to acquit him, which would leave his criminal case open while he continues treatment aimed at making him fit for trial.

Even if found not guilty by reason of insanity, the judge could order him to be committed indefinitely to a secure facility.

Kotlewski was shot three times in each leg, breaking both thigh bones. A femoral artery and femoral vein were severed. He also suffered bullet wounds in the upper arm and in the back, damaging his spine, liver and a kidney. His colon and diaphragm also were injured.

Tyler’s family said at the time that they believe he may have suffered brain damage due to ingesting the hallucinogen PCP.

Clearing the air

When a woman who was teargassed by federal agents was brought to an Aurora hospital for medical treatment Oct. 21, protesters followed.

In the wake of that event, some on social media have been criticizing Rush-Copley Medical Center, accusing it of letting agents inside the hospital to take a person away, and letting their vehicles block an entrance used by ambulances.

But a spokesman for Rush-Copley said it’s not true that it cooperated with immigration agents and let them arrest someone on hospital property. The hospital acted in accordance with the law and its “forensic patient process” that covers situations when law enforcement officers have an interest in a patient, he said.

“We have a very thoughtful and detailed process,” said Charlie Jolie, senior media relations strategist for Rush University System for Health.

When law enforcement brings a person in custody to the hospital for treatment, the officer has to be allowed on the premises, he said.

In the case at hand, the woman was not being arrested on an immigration matter; she was accused of interfering with agents.

The process also prohibits officers from searching the hospital, or making an arrest on hospital property, without a warrant, Jolie said. If the officers don’t have a warrant, they are asked to leave, he added.

“It is important for us to convey that at our medical facility, once they (patients) are there, they are safe,” he said.

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