Top Chicago officer found asleep in car after having ‘a couple of drinks’ orders inquiry into himself

Chicago’s top police official has called for an inquiry into himself after he was reportedly found slumped over in his car at a stop sign near his home.

Eddie Johnson, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), was found at the side of the road in Bridgeport following a 911 call from a member of the public, who said he had been asleep at the wheel of his car.

Now the CPD’s most senior officer has called for an inquiry into himself – while claiming he had stopped after feeling lightheaded. In a press conference he added that he had failed to properly switch to a new medication, and had been diagnosed after the incident with elevated blood pressure.

Describing the incident as a “medical episode”, he said: “While off duty I was out with a group of friends for dinner and didn’t have any feelings or symptoms of impairment when I left the restaurant

“Out of an abundance of caution I pulled over to the side and stopped – even though I was relatively close to home.

“Someone called 911 and reported a person asleep at the stop sign. Responding officers did come, they checked on me and confirmed that I was able to continue on my way”.

Mr Johnson was hospitalised in June after doctors found a blood clot in his lung during a stress test. It came two years after he underwent a kidney transplant in August 2017.

In his press conference Mr Johnson said no Breathalyser test was carried out – arguing that the administering the alcohol check was a choice for individual officers to make.

However on Friday the city’s mayor Lori Lightfoot said the officer had been drinking before the incident.

“He revealed to me that he had a couple of drinks with dinner”, she told the Chicago Sun Times, adding “We know he’s had some medical issues. He’s on the other side of a kidney transplant operation, which is obviously very, very serious. There have been some issues with high blood pressure and so forth,”

“When I take medication, sometimes it has side effects. I know from my parents. So, I take him at his word. The investigation will sort out the details… We’ll see what happens.”

Asked if he should have been driving after consuming alcohol, the mayor added: “I can’t say that. I don’t think you can say that. But no matter what, we’ve got to let the investigation play itself out. He’s a grown man. He had a couple of drinks with dinner,”.

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