Age: 27
Date of Death: 3/23/2007

Driver killed by cop after chase is ID’d
March 25, 2007

A 27-year-old man fatally shot by Chicago police in an alley in the Humboldt Park
neighborhood was identified Saturday as Mario Rojas Rodriguez, according to the Cook
County medical examiner’s office.
Rodriguez was spotted in the alley in the 1200 block of North Harding Avenue about 7
p.m. Friday. Police had tried to stop him earlier for speeding, but he eluded them in a
brief car chase, police said. In the alley, an officer tried to pull Rodriguez from his car,
but Rodriguez allegedly stepped on the gas pedal. The car ran over the officer’s foot and
pinned him to a pole, police said. The officer shot Rodriguez through the windshield.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead about 8 p.m. on the scene.
A police spokeswoman said a determination of whether the shooting was justified was
expected to be available Monday.