Driver charged in July 4 LSD crash with parked CPD car

A Southwest Side man was charged with aggravated drunk driving after his Mini Cooper collided with a Chicago Police squad car parked on Lake Shore Drive on July 4.

Daniel Soto, 29, was behind the wheel of the Mini Cooper near the Oak Street curve on Lake Shore Drive and struck the CPD vehicle around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said at a bond hearing Wednesday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Soto, who suffered a broken neck and ribs, did not appear at the hearing.

At the hospital, Soto’s blood-alcohol level was measured at .231, nearly three times the legal limit, Scaduto said.

Judge Peggy Chiampas set his bail at $500,000 on a charge of aggravated DUI and multiple traffic counts.

Soto’s passenger, was thrown into the back of the Mini, Scaduto said. No police officers were injured in the crash.

Soto had been drinking at Debonair Social Club in Wicker Park before the incident, Scaduto said.