Ex-Springfield Cop Faces Felony DUI In Crash That Seriously Injured 2

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A recently retired police officer was arrested Monday in connection with a traffic crash that seriously injured two people last week.

Michael Egan, 50, until recently a sergeant with the Springfield Police Department, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing great bodily harm, authorities said.

Egan failed to yield and made a left turn directly in front of an incoming motorcycle in 400 block of East Lake Shore Drive around 10 p.m. on Thursday, according to police.

The driver and passenger of the motorcycle were both ejected, seriously injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

A Springfield police lieutenant at the scene of the crash contacted Illinois State Police due to Egan having been employed by the department.

---

State police obtained search warrants to collect a blood sample from Egan, which was processed through the ISP Division of Forensic Services.

According to the sister of one of the people injured in the crash, police gave Egan special treatment following the arrest.

In social media posts accompanied by videos of the aftermath of the crash, the victim's relative suggested Egan had a breath alcohol ignition interlock device and said that he would have taken to jail immediately if he were not a police office.

In a message accompanying an online fundraiser, Cailyn Weiss said her sister Chelsea, a mother of two small children, suffered traumatic brain injuries in addition to multiple broken bones.

More than 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Springfield Police Department on Monday to protest the department's handling of Egan, who retired after 23 years with the department on the day of the crash.

The retired sergeant was due to make his first appearance in court on Tuesday. Illinois law does not permit people charged with aggravated DUI to be detained on the basis of their danger to the community.