Chicago Police

Man Charged After Wrong Way Crash on Lake Shore Drive

A man has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs when he was involved in a wrong-way crash late Tuesday on Lake Shore Drive that left four people were injured on the South Side.

A 2017 Toyota Camry struck a 1997 Nissan Quest minivan about 11:10 p.m. while the Camry was traveling south in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive near 15th Street, according to Chicago Police.

The 48-year-old man driving the minivan and his two passengers, a 17-year-old girl and 47-year-old woman, all suffered minor injuries in the crash and were taken to hospitals, police said.

The 30-year-old man driving the Camry was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

The Chicago Fire Department initially reported that all four people were listed to serious-to-critical condition, and that two people went to Northwestern, while two others were treated at Stroger Hospital.

The driver of the Camry, Julio Tapia, was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanor count of DUI of any amount of drug, police said. He was also issued traffic citations for driving the wrong way, not having insurance and failure to yield.

Copyright Chicago Sun-Times
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