04/12/13
by WGN Web Desk
A North Chicago police officer charged in a fatal wrong-way accident on Lake Shore Drive last month faces a preliminary hearing Friday morning.
Terrell Garrett was off-duty and celebrating his birthday on March 15th, when he allegedly got on Lake Shore Drive at LaSalle and headed north in the southbound lanes.
A high speed crash just south of Belmont killed Jaoquin Garcia and Fabian Torres.
Garrett is charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and aggravated DUI.
04/05/13
by WGN Web Desk
The North Chicago police officer charged with killing two men in a wrong-way crash on Lake Shore Drive is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Terrell Garrett was off-duty when he drove his car north in the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive in the early morning hours March 15.
He slammed into a car carrying Fabian Torres and Joaquin Garcia.
Garrett is charged with reckless homicide and DUI.
Police say his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
Garrett was also injured in the crash.
03/23/13
by WGN Web Desk
A DePaul University student killed in a wrong-way crash on Lake Shore Drive was laid to rest.
The funeral for 27-year-old Fabian Torres took place Friday.
Torres and his friend, Joaquin Garcia, were in an SUV on southbound Lake Shore, when a wrong-way driver hit their vehicle between Belmont and Diversey Parkway last Friday.
Police identified that wrong-way driver as North Chicago police officer, Terrell Garrett.
He was off-duty at the time.
Garrett has been charged with reckless homicide and DUI.
03/18/13
by Julie Unruh
Reporter
03/18/13
by Julie Unruh
Reporter
Friends and family of Joaquin Garcia and Fabien Torres marched 13-plus city blocks to the Cook County criminal courts building to voice their displeasure with the judicial system tonight. The two men were killed early Friday morning by an alleged drunk driver on Lake Shore Drive.
That driver was a North Chicago police officer out celebrating his 35th birthday. Police say he drove the wrong way down Lake Shore Drive and killed Torres and Garcia.
When a judge set bond at $500,000, the mothers of the two victims claim the police officer was getting preferential treatment.
Several lawyers familiar with these types of cases disagree saying a $500,000 bond for a double vehicular homicide is what they would expect for any defendant without a prior record, whether they are a police officer or not.
03/18/13
by Julie Unruh
Reporter
The mothers and families of the victims of a fatal car crash expressed outrage today that the man accused of drinking and driving is a police officer.
The car accident happened last Friday. Police say North Chicago police office Terrell Garrett was drunk and out celebrating his 35th birthday when he pulled onto Lake Shore Drive going the wrong-way and hit another car head-on.
Inside the other car was DePaul student Fabian Torres and his friend Joaquin Garcia who were both killed. Their mothers called on prosecutors today to move the case forward.
Terrell Garrett has been a North Chicago police office since 2008. The police chief says Garrett was a good officer but has now been put on administrative leave.
He’s currently hospitalized and a judge this weekend gave him a $500,00 dollar bond. That means if he can post $50,000, he can go free with electronic monitoring until the trial.
There will be a vigil tonight for the two men who were killed in the crash at 7 p.m. at 26th and Pulaski.
Grieving family members of the victims from friday’s fatal Lake Shore Drive crash speak to the media about their loss. (WGN TV)
03/18/13
by Robert H. Jordan Jr
Anchor/Reporter
03/18/13
by Robert H. Jordan Jr
Anchor/Reporter
A North Chicago police officer is being held on a $500,000 bond for a wrong-way crash on Lake Shore Drive that killed two people.
Police say Tarrell Garrett was drunk, and celebrating his birthday when he pulled onto the Lake Shore Drive and hit another car head-on, early Friday morning.
The crash killed DePaul student Fabian Torres and his friend Joaquin Garcia.
Garrett has been hospitalized with a broken hip.
If he can post $50,000 cash bond, he’ll be allowed to go home under electronic monitoring.
The victims’ families and friends protested outside the courthouse as Garrett’s bond was set.
Joaquin Garcia will be laid to rest Wednesday.
He was scheduled to complete his training in May to be a surgical technician.
03/18/13
by Judy Wang
Reporter/Anchor
03/18/13
by Judy Wang
Reporter/Anchor
A North Chicago police officer is being held on a $500,000 bond for a wrong-way crash on Lake Shore Drive that killed two people.
Police say Tarrell Garrett was drunk, and celebrating his birthday when he pulled onto the Lake Shore Drive and hit another car head-on, early Friday morning.
The crash killed DePaul student Fabian Torres and his friend Joaquin Garcia.
Garrett has been hospitalized with a broken hip.
If he can post $50,000 cash bond, he’ll be allowed to go home under electronic monitoring.
The victims’ families and friends protested outside the courthouse as Garrett’s bond was set.
Joaquin Garcia will be laid to rest Wednesday.
He was scheduled to complete his training in May to be a surgical technician.
03/17/13
by Randi Belisomo
Reporter
03/17/13
by Randi Belisomo
Reporter
Bond was set at $500,000 for a off duty officer who was charged in Friday’s fatal crash on Lake Shore Drive .
The families of Joaquin Garcia and Fabian Torres were united in presence, pain, and displeasure at a bond hearing today for 35-year-old Tarrell Garrett, a North Chicago police officer charged with driving the wrong way on Lake Shore Drive and causing the deaths of both young men.
Garrett has been charged with two counts each of aggravated DUI and reckless homicide. His blood alcohol content was measured at .186. He lives in Zion and is the father of a two year old girl.
Garrett is still hospitalized with a broken hip. His attorney didn’t want to talk to the media, but prosecutors say Garrett explained to emergency crews at the crash that he had been out celebrating his birthday.
25-year-old Joaquin was scheduled to finish his training to be a surgical technician in May.
27-year-old Fabian was studying at DePaul University and struck up a friendship with Joaquin through a mutual acquaintance.
Their mothers had not met before today but their strength and quest for justice they say will bind them forever. That quest started outside of court where supporters of the young men put up signs in protest.
03/15/13
by Gaynor Hall
Reporter
03/15/13
by Gaynor Hall
Reporter
Two men were killed in a crash on Lake Shore Drive early Friday morning when their vehicle was struck by a wrong way driver. An off-duty North Chicago police officer has been arrested in connection with the crash and Chicago police say alcohol is believed to be a factor.
The mayor of North Chicago in a statement identifies that off duty officer as Terrell Garrett.
The crash occurred around 4:00 a.m. The driver was in a silver SUV and got on Lake Shore Drive near LaSalle. He was heading northbound in the southbound lanes.
The car hit a Toyota near Belmont first, injuring the woman driving that car. Then, the car slammed into a jeep killing the two men inside.
The medical examiner’s office identified those men as Fabian Torres, 27-years-old and Joaquin Garcia, who was 25.
The wrong way driver is hospitalized with a fractured hip. He was going an estimated 60-miles-per-hour at the time of the crash.
Morning rush hour traffic on lake shore drive came to a halt for hours during the investigation .
This is more troubling news for the embattled North Chicago Police Department. The off duty officer has not been charged as of yet.
He is being treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of this investigation.
Two men were killed and two others were critically injured after three cars crashed in the 3100 block of North Lake Shore, near Belmont and Diversey Avenues.
The southbound lanes from Belmont to Fullerton were shut down for hours and through most of the morning rush, but have been reopened.
