Bloody Burglar Battered Cop After 5-Hour Caper: Police

EVANSTON, IL — Inbound Metra trains were briefly halted in Evanston Wednesday morning as police grappled with a bleeding burglary suspect who had earlier fled from police with a toddler in his car. A Chicago man who had an active arrest warrant for failing to appear in court in DuPage County on a previous burglary charge now faces several fresh felony charges following his overnight encounters with officers between 11:48 p.m. Tuesday night and 5 a.m., according to Evanston, Kenilworth and Wilmette police.

Davontay Thomas, 20, of the 1700 block of East 68th Street in Chicago, was charged with one count of burglary, one count of attempting to disarm a police officer and two counts of aggravated battery to a police officer after being taken to Evanston Hospital, police said.

A Kenilworth officer pulled Thomas over for speeding at 11:48 p.m. on Sheridan Road near the intersection with Kenilworth Avenue. The officer spoke with the driver and the four passengers in the car, who included a 4-year-old child.

Thomas refused to provide identification and sped away, but police did not pursue because it was a minor traffic offense and out of consideration for the child's safety, according to Kenilworth Chief David Miller.

Miller said Thomas ditched the car about five minutes later near Roselyn Road and Melrose Avenue, leaving all four passengers behind.

Kenilworth officers later learned that he had gotten into a detached garage in the 400 block of Cumnor Road in Kenilworth and stolen a bicycle and "hover board," but it was not immediately clear when that burglary occurred.

Another burglary was discovered in Wilmette at 4:45 a.m. Someone had broken out the back window to a auto repair shot in the 1200 block of Green Bay Road. There was a "substantial" amount of blood, as the intruder had apparently cut himself, according to Wilmette Police Chief Kyle Murphy.

Murphy said a Wilmette officer later noticed Thomas getting onto a southbound Metra train at the Wilmette Metra station, having recognized him by the description given after the Kenilworth incident.

Police ordered the train to stop and boarded it in Evanston.

Murphy said Thomas refused to comply with orders from police and resisted arrest. He also struck officers and tried to grab one of their guns from a holster.

Metra reported delays of less than 30 minutes due to the police activity.

After an initial court hearing, Thomas was ordered held in lieu of 10 percent of a $250,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office. Police said he was due back in court on April 6.