Man Who Drove 80 MPH On Larkin Jumped Off Porch To Avoid 2 Joliet Police Officers: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — A 23-year-old Joliet man, Angell Garcia, has regained his freedom from Will County Judge Shenonda Tisdale following his arrest by Joliet police over the weekend in connection with charges of reckless driving, resisting a police officer, aggravated fleeing the police and aggravated battery.

This marks the second time in three months that Garcia has been put in the Will County Jail by Joliet police. He was also kept in the jail on July 4-5 following a domestic battery arrest. He was also arrested in April 2024 in connection with a shooting near his house in the 800 block of Kelly Avenue.

According to the Will County State's Attorney's Office petition to deny pretrial release, around 2:15 a.m. this Saturday, Joliet Police officers Ditello and Bell were in the area of Midland Avenue near Black Road when Ditello spotted a Chrysler 200 traveling westbound on Black at a high rate of speed. The officer caught up to the Chrysler at the red light for Black Road and Larkin Ave.

Prosecutors said the Chrysler then crossed the white line at the red light and began backing up towards the squad. The car then turned northbound onto Larkin Avenue while disobeying the red light, officials said.

When Ditello activated his squad lights and sirens, the driver accelerated northbound on Larkin and the officer "noted his squad to be traveling 80 mph while trying to catch up to the Chrysler with the Chrysler gaining significant distance from the squad. It is a 40 MPH zone on Larkin Ave.," prosecutors outlined.

Officers reportedly lost sight of the Chrysler as it passed Theodore Street. The officers ran the license plate, which came back to the defendant and an address on Kelly Avenue.

According to prosecutors, Ditello and Bell then arrived at the home on Kelly Avenue and saw one occupant in the Chrysler 200 parked in the rear of the residence. Prosecutors said Garcia got out of the car and began jogging to the back door of the residence as Ditello said, "Police, stop, let me see your hands!"

Court files indicate Garcia fell off his porch through a gate and landed on the ground and continued to roll away and pull his arms away from the officers despite officers stating he was under arrest and to put his hands behind his back.

Garcia was eventually handcuffed, at which time he kicked Bell in the leg, prosecutors alleged. Officer Bell sustained minor soreness to his right knee.

"Defendant continued to flail his body and attempt to throw himself on the ground while being put into the squad. He used his legs to push off the squad and had to be placed in leg shackles," prosecutors said. "Defendant had the keys to the Chrysler 200 in his hands during this interaction and Officer Trujillo grabbed them from his hand after he was in custody."

Will County court records indicate that Tisdale, one of the rotating weekend judges, ruled in favor of Garcia's release from the Will County Jail, ordering that the young man from Kelly Avenue attend all future court hearings and go on electronic monitoring.

Back in April 2024, Garcia, then 21, was the focus of a Joliet Patch story headlined, "Gunshots On Kelly Ave: Joliet Police Discover Loaded Gun, Make Arrest."