By Bailey Aldridge
The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Dec. 27—An Illinois police K9 died after cops say a driver suspected of being impaired crashed a limo into a stopped patrol car.
Loki was waiting in the patrol car’s kennel early Sunday while Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Rosenkranz was handling a traffic stop after pulling over a GMC Yukon on Interstate 90 at Irene Road, according to a Facebook post from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 1:36 a.m., a Lincoln limousine slammed into the back of the patrol car, sending it crashing into the Yukon, according to a news release from Illinois State Police.
Rosenkranz, who was out of the car at the time, was uninjured, police say. The drivers of the limo and the Yukon were both taken by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Loki was taken to be treated at an emergency veterinary hospital in Rockford but later died “due to injuries sustained in the crash,” the sheriff’s office says.
“The members of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office offer our deepest condolences to the Rosenkranz family,” the Facebook post says. “We ask that you keep the Rosenkranz family and our law enforcement family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
The post was flooded with condolences.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2737663069815987&id=1614053132176992
“We send our condolences to your agency and especially to Deputy Rosenkranz,” one user commented. “Rest In Peace K9 Loki, you will not be forgotten.”
“So glad the officer is OK but heartbroken for the loss of Loki,” another wrote.
The Illinois State Police are investigating the incident, the Facebook post says.
The 53-year-old limo driver was “cited for driving under the influence, failure to yield upon approaching a stationary authorized emergency Vehicle (Scotts Law), improper lane usage, driving on the shoulder, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and operating an uninsured motor vehicle,” the agency says.
No other information was available as of Sunday afternoon.
(c)2020 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)