Pekin man injured during police chase

A Pekin man was slightly injured in the early morning hours Saturday when he crashed into a concrete retaining wall while fleeing from Pekin police.

Pekin Police Sgt. Courtney Hutchison said that an on-duty officer patrolling downtown Pekin heard the engine of a vehicle roaring loudly at 12:40 a.m. and observed a red pickup truck speed away from a drive-thru window. The truck headed west toward the McNaughton Bridge, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph.

When the driver, Michael D. Smith, 26, tried to turn south onto Illinois Route 24, he lost control and slammed into the retaining wall. Hutchison said Smith then ran south on Rt. 24 trying to evade arrest, but eventually put up his hands and stopped.

He was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he was treated for minor injuries, including a cut on the nose that required stitches. He was then taken to the Tazewell County Justice Center, where he paid $750 bond and was released Sunday afternoon.

Smith was charged with DUI, unlawful use of a weapon for having an AR-15 in the truck that he did not have a FOID card for, expired registration, no valid driver's license, aggravated fleeing and eluding police, no turn signal, failure to obey a traffic signal device, possession of cannabis and illegal transportation of alcohol.

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Pekin man injured during police chase