Cops: Drunken driver hit Lake Villa squad car

Authorities say a Lake Villa police officer suffered minor injuries Sunday night when a drunken driver his squad car.

Lake County sheriff’s police announced Tuesday the Lake Villa officer in the patrol squad was stopped on northbound Fairfield Road near Apache Trail when the vehicle was struck head-on by a blue 2002 Ford Focus driven by Alex Tapia-Aguilar, 34, of the 1200 block of Brentwood Drive in Round Lake.

Tapia-Aguilar was traveling south in Fairfield’s northbound lane about 10:30 p.m., according to police. Cops said the crash occurred on the 37000 block of Fairfield in unincorporated Lake County.

Sheriff’s police Sgt. Sara Balmes said the Lake Villa officer was turning onto northbound Fairfield from a neighborhood patrol but stopped when he observed Tapia-Aguilar heading toward him in the wrong lane of traffic.

Police said the Lake Villa officer was treated for minor injuries and released from Vista Health System’s emergency center in Lindenhurst. Tapia-Aguilar refused medical treatment at the scene.

Tapia-Aguilar was charged with two counts of driving under the influence, two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, no valid driver’s license, operating an uninsured vehicle, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and criminal damage to state supported property. He’s been held on a $50,000 bond at the Lake County jail, with a court date set for Feb. 14.