Three people have been arrested and charged after an Aurora Police officer was attacked, beaten, kicked, and strangled during the course of a traffic stop late Monday night.
Just after 10:30 p.m. on Monday, an Aurora Police officer performed a traffic stop on a car that rolled through a stop sign near the intersection of Plum Street and Randall Road. The vehicle pulled into a driveway in the 600 block of North Elmwood Drive, and the driver began yelling obscenities out the window. The officer also observed two other passengers in the vehicle.
“This type of lawlessness and violence against our police officers cannot and will not be tolerated,” said Mayor Richard C. Irvin.
Moments later, the rear passenger exited the vehicle. The officer ordered her back into the car several times before informing her that she was under arrest for obstructing. However, before the rear passenger was in custody, the driver also exited the vehicle, continued yelling obscenities, and started approaching the officer at the rear of the car. The driver told the officer that he would fight him if he touched the rear female passenger.
The officer informed the driver that he was also under arrest for obstructing. At that moment, the driver took off running, and the officer ran after him. The two passengers also followed the officer yelling obscenities. The female rear passenger approached the officer as they ran, the officer turned around and grabbed her arm to take her into custody, but she slipped out of his grip.
The two female passengers then began striking the officer with closed fists and kicking his body and head. The officer heard a male’s voice and then was struck repeatedly in the head from several angles. The rear female passenger placed her forearm around the officer’s neck and applied significant force to his windpipe, causing him to lose the ability to breathe. A short time later, additional officers arrived and placed the subjects into custody.
Aurora Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and transported the officer to an area hospital.
Detectives from Aurora Police’s Investigations Division responded to the scene, interviewed the subjects, and gathered numerous pieces of evidence. Detectives presented the case to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, who authorized numerous felony charges against all three suspects, who all remain in custody as of this writing.
“Our Aurora police officers are entrusted with keeping our community safe from harm. I am at a loss of words when an officer is physically attacked from something that would have been a simple traffic ticket,” Chief Kristen Ziman said. “We will not allow our city to become a place where criminals feel emboldened, and lawlessness ensues.”
“This type of lawlessness and violence against our police officers cannot and will not be tolerated,” said Mayor Richard C. Irvin. “This was an act of malice and cowardice and I will absolutely seek that the perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Let’s keep this officer in our prayers as the officer makes a full and complete recovery.”
