A 20-year-old Burbank man is accused of nearly running over a Chicago police officer while fleeing an illegal car show in Grant Park early Sunday, prompting the officer to fire one shot at the vehicle. No one was shot, but police say the officer suffered a rolled ankle after falling during the incident. Footage recorded by passengers in the car is now being used as evidence against the driver.
Alexander Zavala is charged with felony aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and misdemeanor mob crime. Judge James Murphy III granted the state’s request to detain him.
The incident happened around 3:02 a.m. Sunday when police responded to a large gathering of cars that had taken over the intersection of Columbus Drive and Balbo Drive. Prosecutors said someone in the crowd opened a fire hydrant while drivers performed donuts and other reckless maneuvers in the street.
Zavala was reportedly driving a black Chrysler 300 owned by his front-seat passenger while two other people sat in the back. All four occupants were wearing masks, according to an arrest file.
Officers arrived in a marked Chicago police vehicle and began placing spike strips on eastbound Balbo Drive, just east of Columbus Drive, as drivers attempted to flee.
Prosecutors said the owner of the Chrysler, who had been standing outside the passenger side of the car and recording police activity on his cell phone, got into the passenger seat and told Zavala that police were spying on people before telling him to drive. He then dropped the phone, causing the video to go dark, but he continued recording audio.
Zavala drove east on Balbo to an officer who was installing the spike strips, prosecutors said. As Zavala approached, the officer threw the strip into the middle of the lane. The audio recording showed the passenger shouting, “They’re going to stab you!” and “You can’t brake!”
Zavala then suddenly turned the Chrysler to avoid the spike strip and drove directly toward the officer, prosecutors said. The officer drew his gun and fired once at the Chrysler, hitting the top center of the hood. None of the occupants were hit. The officer fell to the ground and suffered a rolled ankle. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Zavala continued east on Balbo without stopping, according to prosecutors, who said audio recorded on a phone in the car caught people saying “go left,” “be careful,” “run” and “they shot the tire.” The Chrysler turned onto Lake Shore Drive and then entered the outbound Dan Ryan Expressway at a low speed until Zavala took the exit near 35th Street, where officers stopped the vehicle and arrested all occupants of the car.
All three passengers identified Zavala as the driver during recorded interviews, prosecutors said. Investigators also recovered cellphone video from another passenger that shows Zavala driving the Chrysler before and after the encounter with the officer, according to the arrest file.
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