Giggling Ganon@GigglingGanon
Maywood Illinois mayor passed out drunk in his car on the express way by downtown Chicago arrested for DUI after putting on a show for the Chicago PD.
Chicago Police officers found a vehicle stopped dead in a live lane of traffic on the I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) near Canal Street. Behind the wheel was Nathaniel George Booker, the Mayor of Maywood, Illinois—not just pulled over, but fast asleep while his SUV sat in a position that could have easily caused a fatal high-speed collision.
The "Special Treatment" Standard
What follows in the bodycam footage is a masterclass in professional—arguably overly accommodating—policing. Most citizens found slumped over a wheel on a major interstate, slurring their speech and refusing to follow basic commands, would be handled with far less patience.
Throughout the encounter, Booker:
Repeatedly invoked his status:
"I'm the mayor of a f*ing town."
Refused to put the car in park or exit the vehicle initially.
Claimed he didn't trust the officers or their squad car.
Effectively shut down the investigation by refusing field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer.
Despite his belligerence and the high-stakes danger he posed to other drivers, the officers remained remarkably calm, giving him multiple opportunities to cooperate that the average driver likely wouldn't receive.
Because Booker refused to blow, Illinois’ Implied Consent law should have triggered an automatic 12-month license suspension. He was initially charged with a DUI.
However, the legal system worked differently for the Mayor:
The Plea: His DUI charge was eventually reduced to a Reckless Driving conviction.
The Rescission: shortly after incident, he announced his license suspension was rescinded at a town board meeting.
The Justification: Despite the video evidence of him asleep at the wheel on a highway and his refusal to cooperate, the court claimed a "lack of evidence" for the DUI.
The Final Twist
You would think a video of a public official using his title to dodge accountability after a dangerous expressway incident would be the end of a political career.
Believe it or not: Nathaniel George Booker stayed in power and was re-elected as Mayor of Maywood in April 2025, securing over 60% of the vote.
Does the "Mayor" title come with a different set of laws, or did the voters simply decide this was a mistake worth overlooking?
Watching this video is eye opening for me as I used to live in Chicago and I have friends that are active Chicago police officers right now. They are terrified to do their job the way they should be because of retaliation by being called racist or being accused of being to forcefull. That city has to be one of the worst places to be a cop. You guys are seeing less than half of the interaction with this mayor as I had to edit it down for time. Just trying to talk him into a car off the expressway I had enough footage to double the length of this video. They were treating him with kid gloves.
