Trooper Pulls K9 Partner to Safety When Parolee Tries to Mow Them Down: Prosecutor

EVERGREEN PARK, IL -- A convicted felon aimed his car and accelerated toward an Illinois State Trooper and his K9 partner assisting Evergreen Park police in a search, prosecutors said

Derrick Martin, 27, of Chicago, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a charge of aggravated assault. Martin is currently on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections where he had been serving a three-year sentence on a drug conviction.

The prosecutor said the state trooper and his K9 partner were assisting Evergreen Park police in the 9200 block of South Sawyer Avenue around 8 p.m. Oct. 5. During the search, the trooper saw a car pull off the roadway and park on the side of the street.

As the trooper and his K9 partner approached the vehide, the driver, later identified as Martin, allegedly aimed the car and accelerated at a high rate of speed toward the trooper. The prosecutor said that the trooper had to jump out of Martin’s way and also pull the K9 partner to safety.

Officers identified Martin as the driver of the vehicle. He was taken into custody where he was charged with a felony for aggravated assault.

Martin currently has three pending manufacture/delivery cases, the prosecutor said.

The judge set bail at $200,000. He also ordered Martin to be held without bail until a court hearing on Oct. 7 in Bridgeview.