A driver was injured after he led police on a pursuit while traveling at a high speed through Lake Bluff before driving 60 feet over a bluff that leads to the beach and Lake Michigan.
A Lake Bluff police officer was on patrol around 10 p.m. Thursday when they saw a pickup truck traveling on Route 176 at a high rate of speed.
The officer attempted to catch up to the vehicle and saw it fail to stop at a red light at Green Bay Road and Route 176, according to Lake Bluff Deputy Police Chief Erik Gehrke.
The officer activated their lights and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
The officer was catching up to the vehicle as it traveled eastbound on Center Avenue approaching Lake Michigan, Gehrke said.
The truck continued straight where Center Avenue dead ends at Sunrise Avenue.
Gehrke said the truck crashed through a wooden fence at the top of the bluff and launched airborne over a pedestrian walkway.
The pickup truck, which flew approximately 60 feet, came to rest on a vehicle access drive to the beach.
The driver, identified as Christian Nunez, 29, of Aurora, walked out of the driver’s seat of the totaled car and complied with officers, Gehrke said.
He was taken into custody and the Lake Bluff Fire Department and Lake Forest Fire Department responded to the scene.
A witness to the pursuit said the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and passing vehicles. Another witness said they were almost struck by the suspect vehicle during the pursuit.
Paramedics transported Nunez to a local hospital for minor injuries and a blood draw.
Gehrke said it was unknown how fast Nunez was traveling through Lake Bluff but he was initially clocked at 68 mph in a 40 mph zone just prior to the attempted traffic stop.
A warrant is being obtained for the blood results and the investigation is ongoing for drugs and alcohol.
Nunez was charged with three counts of aggravated fleeing to elude, aggravated speeding, no insurance, two counts of disobeying a traffic control device and failure to reduce speed to avoid crash.
Nunez was released from the hospital and transported to First Appearance Court where he was released as the charges are non-detainable.
Nunez was also wanted for allegedly fleeing from the Wauconda Police Department prior to the incident in Lake Bluff.