Driver charged with DUI after crashing into squad car stopped for separate DUI arrest
A North Chicago woman faces felony drunken driving charges after she crashed into a parked Lake County Sheriff's squad car at the scene of a separate DUI arrest in Beach Park, authorities said Sunday.
Alaya N. Solomon, 36, is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI, aggravated driving while license revoked, violating Scott's Law and other traffic violations. Also known as the "move over law," Scott's Law requires drivers to slow down and move over, if possible, when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights on.
Sheriff's police said the crash occurred at about 2 a.m. Sunday, after a deputy parked his squad car on Sheridan Road, facing south, just south of Yorkhouse Road. The sheriff's deputy was waiting for a tow truck to take a Honda after its driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, authorities said.
A passenger from the Honda was seated in the back of the parked squad car because the deputy was going to provide the individual with a ride after the Honda was towed.
The deputy then noticed a Dodge Durango driving south on Sheridan toward him at "a high rate of speed," according to the sheriff's office. The Dodge was traveling in the same lane where the squad car was parked.
The deputy stepped partially onto the road and flashed a flashlight toward the Dodge in an attempt at getting the driver's attention after the squad's emergency lights had failed to do so, according to the sheriff's office.
The Dodge continued south toward the squad car, forcing the deputy to jump off the road. The driver of the Dodge, identified as Solomon, of the 1600 block of Sheridan Road in North Chicago, struck the rear of the squad car, authorities said. The collision caused the squad car to hit the Honda.
The sheriff's deputy called for an ambulance to check the passenger, who was in the back of the squad car, and Solomon. Both were uninjured.
Solomon is being held in Lake County jail on $100,000 bail. She is due in court Tuesday.