Crime & Safety

Accused Drunken Driver Compared Himself to Trayvon Martin, Police Say

An arrest in Chicago Heights was followed by racial slurs, boasting about lawyers and a comparison ripped from the newspaper headlines.

Police say an off-duty Pace bus driver used a new defense tactic as he was taken into custody last week: He compared the situation to arguably the most talked about news story in America.

Ronnie L. Dixon, 49, of the 9500 block of South Perry Avenue in Chicago, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after police found him parked in his minivan outside on 14th Street with the engine running on March 27, according to the report.

Dixon was sitting in the driver's seat with his eyes shut and head down, smelling of alcohol, police said. After taking field sobriety tests, police determined him to be "impaired."

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After he was taken into custody Dixon became aggressive in the backseat, stating "I know lawyers and have judges in my back pocket," before spouting out racial slurs and telling police to "go back to Mexico," according to the report.

"This is just like Trayvon," Dixon continued as he was taken to the .

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Dixon took a Breathalyzer test at the police station, registering a .109 blood-alcohol content level, according to the police report. He was also charged with having no valid insurance.

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