Fleeing man struck officer after capture: cops

A Plainfield man is suspected of having fled from police through downtown Joliet and having struck an officer in an ambulance after he complained of a mystery ailment.

Rodney Parks, 31, was arrested and booked into the Will County jail on probable cause of resisting a police officer, aggravated fleeing and aggravated battery.

The Joliet Police Department said in a statement Monday that a man refused to stop when an officer tried to pull him over near the corner of East Clinton Street and North Eastern Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

Police reported that the man eventually stopped near the corner of North Chicago and East Van Buren streets. The suspect reportedly then refused to exit the vehicle, despite numerous commands from officers.

Police say the man exited the vehicle and was arrested after a brief struggle. The suspect then was taken to the Joliet Police Department, but police say that during the booking process the man “became uncooperative and requested an ambulance for an unknown problem.”

On the way to AMITA Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, police also reported the man being uncooperative with ambulance personnel.

“Officers attempted to intervene, at which time Parks struck” one of them, police said.

After the man was taken to the hospital, he was taken to the Will County jail.

Parks appeared in court Sunday morning and his bond was set at $10,000, records show. He posted bond and was released from custody that afternoon.