Chicago police: Former North Side alderman behind wheel of Audi that struck eight cars along four blocks of Gold Coast street

Chicago Tribune (IL)

Chicago police say a former alderman was driving an Audi that rammed and sideswiped at least eight cars along four blocks of a street in the Gold Coast before smashing into a tree Sunday night.

Proco “Joe” Moreno, 48, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition after the string of crashes around 9:30 p.m. in the 1200, 1300 and 1500 blocks of North Astor Street, according to police.

As of Monday morning no charges had been announced against Moreno, who is still fighting charges of insurance fraud and obstruction of justice from an incident in early 2019 when prosecutors say Moreno falsely claimed his 2016 Audi A6 had been stolen from his garage. Moreno allegedly had turned the car and its keys over willingly only hours earlier to a woman he had dated.

Moreno could not be reached for comment Monday.

On Sunday night, police say, Moreno was driving a 2017 Audi A6 that hit a parked car in the 1500 block of North Astor, not far from where Gov. J.B. Pritzer lives. The Audi then struck four more cars in the 1300 and 1200 blocks, police said.

The Audi was then thrown in reverse and sped backward, a door attendant and other witnesses told police. It hit the front of one car, knocking it onto the sidewalk, and struck two more cars before turning onto Division Street, where it crashed into a tree, police said.

A police officer “was dispatched to a call of a reckless driver” and found Moreno in the driver’s seat of the Audi, according to police. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for “treatment of injuries and observation.” No other injuries were reported. Moreno lives about 3u00bd miles away, in the 1300 block of North Leavitt Street.

Among the cars damaged were a Lexus RX, a Volkswagen Jetta, a Mitsubishi Mirage, a Honda Pilot and a Jeep Cherokee, police said.

Moreno was arrested on May 14, 2019, and charged with insurance fraud, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice and falsely reporting a vehicle stolen.

Liliya Hrabar said Moreno lent her the Audi, but he told police it had been stolen because he’d been unable to reach Hrabar after she borrowed it. Moreno allegedly contacted his insurance company in an attempt to make a $30,000 claim for the Audi.

In reality, he handed over his keys and watched Hrabar drive away from his house, then texted her with a request not to smoke in the car, Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Simpson said in court.

Hrabar was later arrested when she was stopped while driving what officers believed was a stolen car.

Texts and phone records did not back up Moreno’s claim that he couldn’t get in touch with Hrabar, the prosecutor said. The charges against Hrabar were dropped by prosecutors, and police opened an investigation into a possible false police report.

Moreno faces as many as seven years in prison if convicted of the most serious offenses. He was released on his own recognizance when he appeared before Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr.

Moreno was represented in that case by Ald. Howard Brookins, which sparked an investigation of its own. Earlier this month, the Chicago Board of Ethics fined Brookins $5,000, asserting that representing a former colleague violated a city government ethics rule Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed through last year.

Brookins did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it wasn’t clear whether he still was representing Moreno.

In February 2019, Moreno — who had served as an alderman for nine years — lost his bid for reelection in his Northwest Side ward to newcomer Daniel La Spata, who was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Moreno was appointed to the City Council in 2010 by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and elected the following year by a wide margin.

Chicago Tribune reporters Megan Crepeau and John Byrne contributed.

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