Election Day Rush? Rahm's Motorcade Reportedly Runs Red Light

The mayor's office and campaign said they weren't aware of a traffic violation

With polls in the mayoral contest closing in a matter of hours, Mayor Rahm Emanuel showed no signs of slowing down Tuesday. 

And neither, apparently, did his motorcade. 

The mayor's two-car transport cruised through a red light at 11th Street and Michigan Avenue following a lunch apperance, a Chicago Tribune reporter tweeted. 

Spokespersons for both the mayor's campaign and city office said they were not aware of any such incident Tuesday. 

But wouldn't be the first time the mayor and his entourage found themselves on the wrong side of the city's traffic laws. One January report found he racked up five different red light tickets in just two months. 

The mayor has defended his driving transgressions, saying he personally pays up for violations that he chalked up to a matter of protocol. A Chicago Police Department spokesman confirmed the two-car Emanuel detail is trained to keep cars together.

“I always pay them,” Emanuel told NBC 5 in January. “Since there’s a tail car given, there are some instances where they can’t get through a light because they can’t get separated from the first car. That may be what happened but whatever it is I pay them, even though I’m not driving.”

Still, the report drew a jab from opponents of the mayor's controversial red light camera implementation, who said in a statement that the mayor "has proven once again that he is above his own law" . 

Emanuel is one of five candidates running in Tuesday's mayoral election. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will face off in an April runoff election. 

For complete Election Day coverage, visit NBC Chicago's Ward Room blog. Click here to follow live results once the polls close at 7 p.m. 

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