Riverside police: Maywood man arrested after evading police during high-speed chase

RIVERSIDE – Riverside police recently arrested a Maywood man who allegedly fled from an officer in May following a traffic stop for speeding, according to a Riverside Police Department news release.

Giovanni J. Collier, 22, of the 100 block of South 14th Avenue in Maywood, was arrested at 2 p.m. July 13 at the Cook County Maybrook Courthouse. Collier was exiting the courthouse after appearing for another traffic related offense, according to Riverside police.

He has been charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding police, speeding, improper lane usage, improper overtaking, disobeying a traffic control device and driving with a suspended license, according to the release.

The incident that led to the arrest happened at 10:35 p.m. May 23 after a Riverside police officer attempted to stop a 2001 Lexus for driving 58 mph in a 35 mph zone while heading northbound on First Avenue at Forest Avenue, the release stated.

The officer pulled up next to the vehicle, asked the driver to pull over and turned the emergency lights on. The Lexus pulled to the curb, but when the officer got out of the car, the Lexus fled north on First Avenue. The officer attempted to stop the driver again at 31st Street and later at Golf View Road to no avail, according to police.

The vehicle then increased its speed to 100 mph. When the pursuit reached to 26th Street, the Lexus was doing 126 mph, at which point the officer ended the chase, according to the news release.

Police were able to track the vehicle registration to a residence in Maywood, but were unable to locate the driver or the vehicle at the last known residence, a relative's residence or the last known location of employment, according to the Riverside Police Department.

In the last month, however, Riverside police received information that Collier had been arrested by North Riverside Police Department on a traffic related offense and was due to appear in court on July 13. He was arrested as he exited Maybrook Courthouse, according to the news release.

Collier told investigators that he disposed of the Lexus knowing that police would be looking for it, and that the car was ruined due to the high-speed chase, rendering it undriveable, according to the release.