Topless, grinning Channahon man flees after nearly running down cop: police

A topless Channahon man nearly ran over a cop, then flashed a smile before leading officers on a chase that ended with him crashing into a ditch, police said.

Shortly after 1:45 a.m. Friday, officer blocking traffic following a crash on Essington Road between Theodore Street and Thomas Hickey Drive spotted a "vehicle being driven by a shirtless male" who was later identified as 23-year-old Reno Giacomo, police said.

Giacomo was heading north toward the scene of the earlier crash, police said, and "went around marked police squads with lights activated and stopped after nearly striking a Joliet Police Officer in the road."

While Giacomo was stopped, officers spoke with him and he informed them "that the vehicles in the road were in his way," police said.

Giacomo appeared intoxicated, police said, and the officers ordered him to get out of his car.

But instead of complying, Giacomo "smiled at the Officers and fled in the vehicle from the scene at a high rate of speed," police said.

The officers chased Giacomo north and then west on Caton Farm Road, but broke off the pursuit "due to safety reasons," police said.

A short time later, the law spotted Giacomo near the intersection of Caton Farm and Arbeiter Roads, police said, and he came close to crashing into a cop car as he headed south in the northbound lane of Ridge Road.

The cops lost Giacomo again when he turned right onto Jones Road from Ridge, police said, but found him once more after he crashed in a ditch near the intersection of Jones and Arbeiter.

Giacomo was arrested and taken to Joliet Police Department, but was then transported to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet "due to his level of intoxication," police said.

From the hospital, police said, Giacomo was taken to the Will County jail, where he was booked at about 6 a.m. Friday on charges of aggravated assault, fleeing, resisting a police officer, reckless driving, improperly passing an emergency vehicle and driving under the influence.

Giacomo was released from custody about 13 hours later on a $50,000 bond, records show.