Off-duty CPD officer charged with DUI in crash that critically hurt pedestrian

An off-duty Chicago Police officer faces misdemeanor DUI charges after his car struck and critically injured a woman in the Belmont Heights neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

About 1:20 a.m., the 29-year-old woman was crossing the street in the 7500 block of West Belmont when she was hit by a 1997 Mercedes, according to police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.

The woman, who was in the crosswalk when she was hit, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in critical condition, Zala said.

The 40-year-old man at the wheel was identified as a two-year CPD veteran, police said. He was charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI and cited for failure to exercise care with a pedestrian in the roadway.

The officer has been relieved of police powers pending the outcome of an investigation by the police Major Accidents Investigation Unit. He is due to appear in traffic court Aug. 18.