Judge Denied Bail to Suspect in Case of Intentional SUV Collision With Police Squad
A man who is accused of purposefully smashing his SUV into a police car in Round Lake, gravely injuring the officer, has been refused pre-trial bail by a judge.
Around 4 p.m. on November 15, according to Round Lake Police Chief David Prus, a police officer from Round Lake was going north on Cedar Lake Road and approached Washington Street.
Driving south on Cedar Lake Road was a 27-year-old man from Round Lake named Norberto Garcia-Acevedo, who was operating a Chevrolet Trailblazer.
According to Prus, Garcia-Acevedo suddenly drove his Chevrolet into the oncoming lanes of traffic, colliding head-on with the marked police squad.
At the moment of the collision, the squad was approaching the crossroads slowly. According to Prus, the police officer was taken to a nearby hospital with “very serious injuries.”
Lake & McHenry County Scanner shared a post on Twitter:
A judge has denied pre-trial release for a man accused of intentionally crashing his SUV into a police car, leaving the officer very seriously injured, in Round Lake. https://t.co/mHYIFODaFj
— Lake & McHenry County Scanner (@LMCScanner) November 23, 2023
According to Prus, Garcia-Acevedo gave off an “extreme odor” of alcohol, which was detected by several police officers and firefighters. According to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kelse Banks, Garcia-Acevedo’s blood and urine samples revealed a 0.143 blood alcohol concentration.
He also admitted to investigators that he had smoked the day before and that cannabis was present in his body. Garcia-Acevedo gave statements and video footage was gathered, according to Prus, which helped investigators conclude that he struck the squad on purpose.
According to Banks, Garcia-Acevedo acknowledged drinking a lot of alcohol prior to the collision and even did so while operating a vehicle. According to Banks, Garcia-Acevedo acknowledged accelerating out of a parking lot at 80 mph in a 30 mph zone.
He claimed to have crossed into the oncoming lane to crash into the squad car after hearing voices in his head. Banks stated that although Garcia-Acevedo maintained he was unaware that he had struck a police officer, he “does hate cops.”
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With only minor wounds, Garcia-Acevedo was taken to a nearby hospital, where he received care before being turned over to the authorities.
He was accused of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery against a peace officer inflicting severe bodily harm, and aggravated driving while intoxicated causing great bodily harm. There may be more fees.
The only people in the cars were the drivers. The intersection between Washington Street and Cedar Lake Road was entirely closed for around four hours.
Prus said Garcia-Acevedo has no significant criminal history aside from a previous charge of disorderly conduct from a few years ago. An impartial investigation into the collision is being carried out by the Lake County Major Collision Assistance Team (MCAT).
Judge Ari Fisz of Lake County hosted a detention hearing for Garcia-Acevedo on Monday. A petition to detain Garcia-Acevedo was submitted after Banks declared him a threat to the community as a whole.
Garcia-Acevedo’s attorney, Robert T. Ritacca, argued in court that his client should be released pending trial and claimed the prosecution had wrongly charged him.
The request to hold Garcia-Acevedo in the Lake County Jail until trial was approved by Fisz. On December 7, a preliminary hearing in this case is planned.
