CHICAGO — A migrant living at the Piotrowski Park shelter was ticketed after he drove someone’s car into a park building on Monday evening, according to a Chicago police traffic crash report.
August 18, 2023 10:22 PM
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The report said Xiorwins Rafael Chirinos-Escalona, 26, lives at the park, 4247 West 31st Street, and does not have a license to drive.
Police responded to the park to handle a call of a vehicle striking a building shortly after 8 p.m. They said they found a 2006 Ford Focus with minor damage facing the park building and damage to the structure’s glass block windows and “surroundings.”
Officers learned that someone in the shelter gave the car’s keys to their son to get some clothing from the vehicle. But the son gave the keys to Chirinos-Escalona, police said.
According to the report, Chirinos-Escalona hopped behind the wheel, revved the engine “profusely,” and lost control of the car, which lurched across the parking lot. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the building.
A diagram of the crash scene from the CPD report. | Chicago Police Department
A witness told police they heard a car engine revving and looked up to see Chirinos-Escalona drive across the lot and into the structure.
No injuries were reported.
Police cited Chirinos-Escalona for driving without a license, negligent driving, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
Sources within the Chicago Police Department have told CWBChicago that unlicensed driving is common among the city’s newly arrived migrants. One believed that more than 100 migrants had been cited for driving without a license this summer.
