Riverside Crash Involves 2 Drunken Drivers: Cops

La Grange IL

06 April, 2021

10:21 AM

Description

RIVERSIDE, IL — A crash last week in Riverside involved not one, but two drunken drivers, police said. The incident resulted in the arrests of women from Brookfield and Riverside, with one using racial slurs against officers and hospital personnel. It took place shortly before midnight Friday near First Avenue and Ridgewood Road. Kirsten Elizabeth Chapman, 21, of Brookfield, was charged with DUI, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, disobeying a traffic signal and no insurance. Beatrice N. Suarez, 39, of Riverside, was charged with DUI, improper overtaking or passing, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and no insurance. According to a Riverside police news release, a black Jeep was overturned on its roof, while a second car was heavily damaged. The Jeep had two passengers. The Jeep's driver, Chapman, told officers she couldn't remember what happened, police said. The other driver, Suarez, swore at officers, called them derogatory names and hurled racial slurs, police said. Both women were intoxicated, according to the release. Suarez, who was taken to the hospital, was described as highly combative with hospital personnel, continuing with her racial slurs, police said. Chapman's passengers were a 22-year-old woman from Lockport and a 26-year-old man from Orland Park. No one in the Jeep was injured or requested medical assistance, police said. According to preliminary evidence, Chapman got impatient that the car in front of her driven by Suarez was traveling too slowly on Forest Avenue while approaching First Avenue. Chapman then passed Suarez, who got angry, police said. They then collided. After the Jeep rolled over, Suarez continued west on Forest and blew the red light at First and Forest, nearly hitting several other cars head on, according to the release. Suarez then tried to go south on First, but did an abrupt U-turn and came to rest in the northbound lanes of First, just south of Forest, police said. At this point, her car was disabled. Police Chief Tom Weitzel said his department is investigating the possibility of drugs being involved. "We discovered drug paraphernalia and cold beer inside the (Jeep) that rolled over," he said in the release. "With ride-share availability, there is no reason for anyone to be driving intoxicated. The roadway was shut down for over two hours so that officers could investigate the crash scene. This could have very easily had a tragic ending."