Bloodied Driver Charged with St. Patrick's Day DUI: Police

A man covered in blood was charged with aggravated DUI after a St. Patrick’s Day traffic stop near the intersection of Elmwood and La Grange Road in La Grange Park, police said.

Fernando Vital, 30, of the 2100 block of North Tripp Avenue in Chicago, was bleeding profusely from a cut on his left eyelid and eyebrow when officers pulled him over around 7:02 a.m.

The driver’s side of the car was heavily damaged, with a shattered window and streaks of red paint that had transferred from another surface, police said.

An off-duty officer started following Vital around 31^st and Prairie, eventually calling dispatch when Vital began heading south on La Grange Road from 31^st Street. That officer alerted an on-duty officer who tailed Vital while he swerved across the road. Vital continued driving for about four blocks after the officer signaled for him to pull over, according to the report.

Once he stopped on Elmwood, Vital had to grasp his car door to maintain his balance as he exited for paramedics, police said. He stumbled before falling onto a gurney. He was taken to La Grange Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.

Vital was charged with two counts of DUI, one of which is aggravated because of a previous DUI conviction, driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance. 

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