HUMBOLDT PARK — Prosecutors said a popular local DJ was drunk and driving more than 90 miles per hour Monday when his car slid off Lake Shore Drive and into a frozen lagoon, killing the young mother who was with him.
Rafael “DJ Lego” Rodriguez was rescued by fire crews Monday and remains hospitalized Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez was driving more than 90 mph and weaving in and out of traffic when he lost control of his vehicle about 1:45 a.m. Monday. The 42-year-old Lakeview resident has been charged with aggravated DUI, DUI and driving on a suspended license. He was also ticketed for speeding.
Rodriguez was leaving Time Nightclub between sets on Monday when his car careened through a gaurdrail, struck a tree and flipped over onto a frozen lagoon in Lincoln Park near the 2200 block of North Lake Shore Drive.
Crews found the car upside down on the frozen surface and were able to rescue both occupants, police said. But 37-year-old Claudia Beruben later died at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Lizzie Schiffman Tufano discusses the charges:
Rodriguez was brought to the same hospital in critical condition, authorities said. He was still in the intensive care unit on Wednesday when Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered him held in lieu of $1 million bond "due to the very, very serious nature of the offense" during a short bond hearing at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.
Police said Rodriguez smelled like alcohol when he was rescued, and later was found with a blood-alcohol content of .17, more than twice the legal limit, Assistant State's Attorney Akash Vyas said in court. Rodriguez had fractured vertebrae and hand injuries.
His attorney, Vadim Shifrin, said Rodriguez had one surgery and will need two more. Shifrin blamed the accident on a slippery road and missing guardrail.
Close friend Michelle Gomez on Tuesday said she's still in shock about the wreck. Rodriguez and Beruben had left Time Nightclub to attend a Frankie Knuckles tribute show for the late DJ's birthday and were heading back to Time for the remainder of Rodriguez's set when the crash occurred, she added.
Rodriguez is “a very positive person with a lot of good energy,” Gomez said, hours before charges against her friend were announced by police. “He’s a happy person. He does a lot of inspiring things, and he’s always wiling to help people.”
Gomez said he takes care of his teen son, performs music in Chicago, works as a trainer and helps the homeless.
Rodriguez gained worldwide acclaim as an enthusiast of house and Latin music under the DJ Lego moniker, producing a slew of remixes while keeping DJ residencies at a number of Chicago clubs — including the one he left and attempted to return to the night of the fatal crash.
“It’s very shocking for this to happen to him,” Gomez said, noting that Beruben’s family is suffering an even worse loss.
A Give Forward campaign to help support Beruben’s young daughter, Brianna, has been set up in her name and had reached nearly half of its $20,000 goal as of Tuesday night.
Gomez described Rodriguez repeatedly as “a good guy."
“He’s very responsible and giving and kind, especially with his son and family," she said. "It’s sad that this happened."
Vyas said Rodriguez has been ticketed six times for speeding in the past five years. On four of those occasions, he was convicted. He was also sentenced to court supervision in 2012 for drunken driving in DuPage County, and his license had been revoked at the time of this week's crash due to a history of DUIs, speeding and accidents, Vyas said.
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