Car Crashes into Video Store at Jarvis Square in Rogers Park

Nobody was injured when a woman lost control of her car and drove it through the front window of Express Video today at 10:50 a.m.

The store, located at 7364 N. Greenview, is only two doors away from the office of Alderman Joe Moore. Moore's office is in the same strip mall known as Jarvis Square.

According to employees of the store, a 20 year old woman was in her car, parked directly in front of the store. The woman, Sharon V. Martinez, allegedly put the car in drive but thought she had it in reverse. The pumped the accelerator, and the car crashed through the window, continuing on through a wall video shelving. In all, four display units were destroyed.

The Illinois Motorist Report, issued by the Chicago Police as the "investigating agency," noted that no photo was taken, no statement was taken, and no fine issued to Ms. Martinez. Witnesses say that she was driven away in a police car. A tow truck came and removed the car from the store, and shortly thereafter Ms. Martinez was returned to the store by the police and allowed to drive the car away. The report noted that her driver's license is "expired." The car is registered to somebody other than Ms. Martinez.

Injury was narrowly avoided. One employee had been sitting just inside the window, behind a display unit, and went to the rest room. Moments after he went to the rest room, the car destroyed the place he'd been sitting seconds earlier. "My lucky day," he said.