By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times
Tania Reyna | Chicago Police
A woman who caused a crash that killed Carlos De Lourdes in Brighton Park tested positive for PCP and admitted she had been drinking before she got behind the wheel, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.
Authorities found three Grey Goose vodka bottles on the passenger floor of Tania A. Reyna’s car after Tuesday night’s deadly wreck, Assistant State’s Attorney Erika Gilliam-Booker said.
Reyna, 39, also told officers she had been drinking the alcoholic beverage Four Loko and fighting with her boyfriend before she slammed into De Lourdes’ car at 44th and California, according to her arrest report.
Reyna was traveling roughly 89 mph about 12:30 a.m. as she zipped south on California through a residential area, Gilliam-Booker said.
Chicago Police investigate a fatal crash late Tuesday in the 4400 block of South California. | Network Video Productions
She eventually went through a stop sign at 44th Street, drove into oncoming traffic and rammed into De Lourdes, Gilliam-Booker said.
The impact of the crash caused the 28-year-old De Lourdes’ vehicle to strike a light pole and a CTA bus stop sign before coming to rest on the curb, Gilliam-Booker said. Debris from the wreck broke a glass window at a nearby cell phone store.
Meanwhile, Reyna drove off, hitting an unoccupied car that in turn crashed into two homes; then hit two other empty cars before coming to a stop, Gilliam-Booker said.
Lourdes was extricated from his car and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:52 a.m.
Police found Reyna slouched over, holding her leg and sobbing as she sat in a metal chair, according to her arrest report.
She at first avoided eye contact with officers on the scene but then admitted to drinking and bickering with her boyfriend, the report said.
Reyna and her passenger were treated for their injuries and released from an area hospital, where preliminary toxicology tests were taken, Gilliam-Booker said.
Reyna has previous convictions for drugs and her license was suspended in Kansas because she failed to pay parking tickets, Gilliam-Booker said.
Reyna’s listed address is in the 1800 block of West 35th Street. But an attorney for the mother of two said she had been living with her father in south suburban Harvey.
She recently worked the front desk at a hotel in the south suburbs, but was laid off two weeks ago, her defense attorney said. Before that, Reyna worked as a cashier at a Dunkin’ Donuts, the attorney added.
Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil ordered Reyna held on $300,000 bond for reckless homicide and aggravated DUI causing death.
In addition to the felonies, Reyna was charged with a misdemeanor count of DUI, and cited for disobeying a red circular steady signal stop, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to reduce speed and failure to stay in a lane, police said.