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Teen Critically Hurt In South Loop Crash Facing DUI Charges

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A teenage boy is facing DUI charges after he was critically injured in a crash Saturday morning in the South Loop.

The 17-year-old boy was driving south in the 2100 block of South Lake Shore Drive about 10:15 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, which struck a tree and caught fire, police said.

Witnesses who saw the crash, one of whom was an off-duty police officer, were able to remove the boy from the vehicle before paramedics arrived, police said. He was then taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

The boy was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound with alcohol and drugs, police said Monday night. He also faces individual misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of both a drug and alcohol.

He was cited for failure to reduce speed, failure to carry a driver's license and operating a vehicle without insurance, police said.

His name was not released because of his age.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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