Bond Denied For Driver Involved In Police Chase

By Anna Deem in News on Oct 16, 2010 5:45PM

Miguel Gonzalez, 24, of the 1000 block of West Balmoral Avenue, was denied bond on Friday, after he led police on a chase around the Northwest Side on Wednesday night. The chase left three cops injured, and also forced officers to fire shots at Gonzalez twice. Gonzalez--who had no prior criminal history--was charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, and DUI, one count of aggravated fleeing police and aggravated fleeing police involving bodily injury, and was ticketed for carrying alcohol and driving the wrong way on a one-way street, police said to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The chase on Wednesday began at 8:45 p.m., when an officer on a bike saw Gonzales--along with a female passenger in the car--run a red light at Sunnyside and Broadway. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but Gonzalez sped off. On Lake Shore Drive, other officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Gonzalez kept driving and hit an officer at Lake Shore Drive and Belmont. Gonzalez drove west on Addison, and officers took the opportunity to block his vehicle in at Berenice and Melvina.

Once the car stopped, officers began to approach on foot, but Gonzalez accelerated, and hit one officer, which prompted to police to fire shots. The officer suffered a sprained back and a hip-related injury. Gonzalez finally stopped his car after police drove alongside his vehicle, causing him to hit a light pole. Again, he tried to accelerate as officers approached, hitting another officer and injuring his leg. Police fired shots again, and Gonzalez fled on foot, but was apprehended in the 3900 block of North Marmora, police said.

The three injured officers and Gonzalez were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No one was hit by the gunfire. Gonzalez was denied bond on Friday and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 3., Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said to the Sun-Times.