Nov 24, 2007 9:51 pm US/Central
Family Wants Tougher Charges For Cop In Crash
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Thanksgiving morning, 22-year-old Miguel Flores and his life-long friend, 21-year-old Erick Lagunas, were once again hanging out, when their lives were cut short by a driver, an off-duty cop, accused of being drunk.
CBS
Family members of two men killed in a car crash involving an allegedly drunk cop, want the officer to face tougher charges.
The families made the announcement Saturday evening as they gathered to lay their loved ones to rest in Berwyn.
One of the victim's sister says the fact that the officer involved in the crash has only been charged with a DUI is offensive.
Thanksgiving morning, 22-year-old Miguel Flores and his life-long friend, 21-year-old Erick Lagunas, were once again hanging out, when their lives were cut short by a driver accused of being drunk.
Chicago police say the driver who crashed into them in the 2900 block of North Damen, was actually one of their own – a 33-year-old tactical officer named John Ardelean who was off duty at the time of the crash.
Family members who gathered Saturday for the victims' funeral say learning the man was a police officer is just one of the things adding insult to injury during this devastating time.
"The police has not even, to this day, contacted us, nobody has gone to my house. No police has not called me," said Nancy Flores, Miguel Flores' sister. "The police has not answered any of our questions."
And the biggest question for the victims' families at this time: why isn't officer Ardelean charged with more than just DUI and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident?
"Me and my family feel very insulted that somebody is just got charged with a DUI instead of getting charged with something else, when there's two people dead," Flores said.
Nancy Flores says her family has now hired a lawyer to look into any possible legal action they can take.
"We're not just going to sit here and let them do whatever they want," she said. "They have not even given us the courtesy to come and tell us anything, or ask us if we have any questions, so we're going to do whatever we need to do."
Officer Ardelean is currently out on bond. He was relieved of police duties pending the outcome of the investigation.
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