COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Humboldt Park man charged with fatally hitting two men this weekend told police he'd had four or five whiskey drinks before driving, prosecutors said Monday.
Jose Estrada, 24, blew a blood-alcohol content nearly twice the legal limit, Assistant State's Attorney Alex Molesky said during a brief bond hearing.
Estrada was driving eastbound in the 4300 block of West North Avenue about 10:15 p.m. Saturday when he struck two men walking in the crosswalk, police and prosecutors said.
One of the men went over the hood of Estrada's car and into his windshield, Molesky said. Estrada continued to drive before eventually crashing into parked cars in the 4100 block of West North Avenue.
Police on the scene said Estrada smelled like liquor and had bloodshot eyes, according to an arrest report. Prosecutors said he vomited in the back of a squad car and had a blood-alcohol content of .157.
One of the victims died on the scene. The other was taken to Norwegian American Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Officer identified the men as Ramon Cruz, 36, and Pablo Esquivel-Vega, 56.
Estrada, who lives in the 1200 block of North Kedzie Avenue, was charged with two counts of aggravated DUI, two counts of DUI and failing to reduce speed.
Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Cieseil ordered Estrada held in lieu of $500,000 bail. Estrada, a Mexican native, must surrender his passport if he makes bail.
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