Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A Chicago man had his tires flattened after he allegedly tried to flee police. Officers said in a report they found him and a passenger asleep in his car on Western Avenue at the Canadian National train tracks.
Police put two tire deflation devices behind his car’s rear tires and then woke the man and passenger. Waking the two was no easy task, police said. It took a lot of knocking on the windows of the car. According to officers, after waking up, the man denied he had been asleep. Officers warned him several times, they said, of the devices they put behind his tires.
The man allegedly drove away anyhow. With tires deflated and flattened, police didn’t have to chase him long.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through October 6, 2023
Criminal Damage to Property
Police arrested Larnell T. Weston, 39, 231 Miami St., Park Forest, on October 1 and charged him with criminal damage to property. Police responded to Court G5 on Indianwood Blvd. at 11:24 AM to investigate a report of criminal damage to property. The complainant alleged she saw Larnell Weston “stab a tire” on her vehicle, according to the account. She said she wished to pursue “criminal complaints against Weston” on a charge of criminal damage to property, according to police.
Aggravated Battery
Police arrested Nutiya V. Thompson, 25, 456 E. Washington St., Joliet, on October 1 and charged her with aggravated battery.
An officer responded to the Park Forest Police Department at 4:18 PM to answer a delayed report of assault. Police later changed this to battery delayed.
The complainant said she was with her boyfriend. She posted something on social media telling where she was at the time. Nutiya V. Thomas saw the post and allegedly sent the complainant a series of messages telling her she wanted to fight, according to police.
Ms. Thompson allegedly went to North Arbor Trail, found the complainant, and allegedly swung her fist at the complainant while grabbing her hair, according to police. Ms. Thompson reportedly hit the complainant several times and scratched her left eye “intensely,” according to the report.
Domestic Battery/Physical Contact
Police arrested Jazmine A. Grisby, 25, 23457 W. Western Ave., Park Forest, on October 3 and charged her with domestic battery/physical contact.
Police responded to an address on South Western Avenue at 12:25 AM to investigate a report of a domestic incident. Ms. Grisby allegedly put her left hand around the complainant’s neck and began choking him, according to police. She reportedly did this for about one minute before he was able to push her away, according to police. Ms. Grisby then allegedly struck the complainant in the face, throwing “several closed fists,” according to the report.
Ms. Grisby and the complainant allegedly had a dispute over the complainant asking Ms. Grisby to turn down her music. She refused, according to the report.
Aggravated Driving While License Suspended
Police arrested Christopher J. Worsham, 51, 834 White Oak Lane, University Park, on October 4 and charged him with aggravated driving while his license was suspended, no tail lamps, and no insurance.
An officer on patrol at 2:16 AM saw a vehicle traveling east in front of him on Sauk Trail from Oswego Street. According to police, the car allegedly had no red tail lamps.
The officer curbed the vehicle. Mr. Worsham was the sole occupant and driver of the car. Mr. Worsham told the officer he did not have insurance or a driver’s license but did provide an Illinois identification card, according to police.
Police: Tires Flattened While to Flee
Police arrested Jahiem R. Williams, 22, 4630 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, on October 6 and charged him with improper parking on the roadway, fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.
An officer patrolling at 11:38 PM saw a white Nissan running and facing southbound on Western Avenue just north of the CN train tracks. According to police, the officer couldn’t see if the Nissan was occupied because of the heavy window tint.
The car was on the roadway, not moving, and blocking a traffic lane. According to police, it did not have flashing hazard lights on.
Man Slumped Over Steering Wheel
Two officers approached the car and saw a man slumped over the steering wheel. A woman was in the front passenger seat. She was also asleep.
Police later identified the man as Jahiem R. Williams.
According to police, one of the officers put two tire deflation devices behind the Nissan’s rear tires in case the vehicle attempted to flee.
Police began knocking on the windows and identified themselves as Park Forest Police. They gave commands to Mr. Williams to unlock the doors. They told Mr. Williams several times about the tire deflation devices they put near his tires.
According to the report, Mr. Williams woke slowly and appeared disoriented.
When he woke up, Mr. Williams allegedly did not unlock the doors but lowered the driver’s side window and spoke with one of the officers. He wanted to know why the police were talking to him.
An officer told him they were checking on his well-being as he was sleeping inside his car. Mr. Williams allegedly denied being asleep behind the wheel. He then reportedly began to drive away from the scene, according to police.
Tires Flattened and a Short Pursuit
As Mr. Williams allegedly fled, his tires were flattened by the deflation devices, according to police.
The officers returned to their patrol vehicles and followed behind Mr. Williams’s car. Because the tires were flattened, they didn’t have to follow Mr. Williams far. According to police, he brought the Nissan to a stop at Western Avenue and Algonquin Street.
“High-risk Vehicle Stop” with Guns Drawn
Other officers arrived on the scene to assist. Police conducted a “high-risk vehicle stop,” according to the report. During the stop, multiple officers had their firearms unholstered in a low-ready position, according to the report. However, none of the officers pointed their guns at the occupants, according to the report.
Police took both occupants into custody without incident.
At the Park Forest Police Department, police searched Mr. Williams and found three loose pills in his front pants pocket, according to the report. Mr. Williams allegedly told police the pills were prescribed to him. However, police said in their statement that he did not have the prescription on his person.
Driver Passes Field Sobriety Tests
One officer saw that Mr. Williams’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot but did not detect an odor of an alcoholic beverage or slurred speech.
While at the Park Forest Police Department, one of the officers asked that Mr. Williams perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. He agreed and ultimately did not show “enough clues of impairment,” according to the report.
Police checked the pills they found through drug.com and confirmed that they were a controlled substance, according to the report.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has continuously published the addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department), shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g., “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.
We do not strike, “unpublish,” or delete news.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
