A Chicago man who flagged down a police officer to say “hello” while driving in west suburban Riverside was later charged with DUI.
Riverside police said 57-year-old Freddie Levison was driving a 2012 Chevy utility vehicle early Saturday morning when he waved down a police officer in a marked squad car in the 3400 block of Harlem Avenue.
Levison told the officer he just wanted to say “hello,” then continued driving southbound on Harlem Avenue, a release from Riverside police said.
The officer reported that Levison began driving erratically and could not maintain lane usage. Police said the car “weaved from lane to lane and straddled the center lane marker numerous times.”
Police stopped the vehicle in the 3800 block of Harlem Avenue and an officer reported smelling a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver’s mouth.
“When asked for his driver’s license, the individual dropped the items he was holding numerous times and seemed very disoriented,” according to a release from Riverside police. “The driver informed the officer that he was paraplegic and was unable to perform any standardized field sobriety tests. However, he wanted the officer to know that he had been arrested for DUI previously and his driver’s license was currently suspended for a DUI.”
Levison was evaluated by paramedics and eventually transported to the Riverside Police Department. Police said he had a blood alcohol level .210, nearly three times the legal limit in Illinois.
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Levison, of the 7500 block of South Dorchester Avenue, was charged with two counts of DUI, driving with a suspended license and illegal lane usage.
