SHILOH, Ill. — An off-duty Illinois State Police (ISP) detective recently crashed into a 16-year-old boy's car and left the scene, according to documents 5 On Your Side obtained from the Shiloh Police Department.
The special agent collided with the vehicle on Dec. 7 near the intersection of Hartman Lane and Thouvenot Lane in O'Fallon, according to the documents. ISP has since put him on restricted duty and is investigating the incident.
Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly showed an unmarked patrol car enter the intersection during a red light with its lights on and strike the teen's vehicle, causing it to spin 180 degrees. The patrol car continued driving and exited the intersection with its emergency lights deactivated.
Two witnesses reported the patrol car revved its engine and sped up as it left the scene of the crash. Bystanders helped the boy move his car to a nearby parking lot.
The patrol car then drove through another red light around 10 minutes later, forcing oncoming traffic to avoid a collision with the vehicle.
An investigator from the Shiloh Police Department got confirmation from an ISP lieutenant that the driver was the special agent, the documents showed. The investigator made contact with the detective at his apartment and saw an unmarked squad car with front-end damage consistent with a collision.
The detective told the investigator he traveled through the intersection and admitted he "tapped" another vehicle, saying his grandmother was sick and he was on his way toward the west end of Belleville when it happened. The investigator said he did not appear to have any issues with his fine motor control skills, but said an odor of alcohol was emitting from his breath and he refused to take a field sobriety test.
According to the documents, he claimed he continued after the crash and turned around at Lebanon Avenue, but when he got back to the intersection, the vehicle he struck wasn't there. He said he reported the crash to Brunnworth.
He was issued citations for both leaving the scene of a crash and disregarding traffic control devices. The case was declared "closed" by the investigator, but ISP's investigation into the incident is ongoing.