JOLIET, IL — During the middle of the night on August 19, Joliet police officers converged inside the apartment building at 809 Vine Street. Officers had Tasers ready, handguns drawn and one had his ballistics shield. None of the officers knew how 24-year-old domestic violence suspect Alex Montgomery would react once they entered his bedroom to arrest him.
The officers, following the instructions of Sgt. Brian Montello, managed to arrest Montgomery as he lay on his bed. Will County Judge James B. Harvey ruled in August that Montgomery was too dangerous to release under the Illinois SAFE-T-Act. To this day, he remains in the Will County Jail facing charges of aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation, five counts of domestic battery and one count of violating an order of protection.
Joliet Patch continues to obtain body camera videos from the Joliet Police Department to provide more context and background to some of the arrests being made, including those during the overnight hours, when it often seems that Joliet police are extra busy. The incident involving Montgomery's arrest happened around 2:40 a.m.
"Alex, this is Joliet police. Come out. Keep your hands up," yelled one officer in the hallway.
"Come out now or we're going to come in."
At least five minutes passed with no response from Montgomery as the team of Joliet officers converged in the second-floor apartment hallway. His door was closed and had no windows, leaving the officers unsure whether Montgomery was waiting on the other side with a dangerous weapon.
Montgomery kept silent the entire time, adding to the unpredictability of the situation.
Eventually, one officer put on his ballistic shield as Sergeant Montello announced, "Alex, come out or we're going to force our way in. Do it now, unlock the door."
No response, the officers gathered in the hallway got no response from Montgomery. Finally, the team barged into the bedroom and captured Mongomery as he lay on his bed while the TV was on.
"Do not move!" an officer commanded.
"What did I do? Why am I getting arrested? What did I do to ya?" he asked.
When Montgomery complained the Joliet police who rushed into his bedroom tackled him, one of them responded, "Nobody tackled you."
Montgomery complained that the arresting officers were escorting out of the building before he had a chance to wear his shoes.
"So, I'm going to walk out there with no shoes? I'm not f****** resisting, OK?" he yelled. "Why are you so aggressive?
"I'm just saying you act like I just killed somebody. Bro, what the f***? I'm not resisting, I'm complying. Why y'all's so aggressive? What am I even getting locked up for?'
Back outside on Vine Street at the squad car, Montgomery asked the officer to loosen his handcuffs behind his back just a bit.
"What about my phone? Don't give my phone to my girl, please," Montgomery asked.
According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, about 15 minutes earlier, at 2:25 a.m., the overnight duty officers responded to the apartment on Vine Street after a caller reported hearing a woman screaming for help.
The victim later explained how she was allowed into the Vine Street apartment by Montgomery's mother, Desiree.
"While at the residence Alex walked in and asked ... if she would be willing to talk to him due to being served an order of protection earlier in the day, Will County 2026 OP 2140 issued," prosecutors advised. "Alex became irate when she received a phone call from an unknown male and slammed his own head into the wall causing a cut to his forehead."
Suddenly, Montgomery's ex-girlfriend "tried to run out of the apartment and Alex grabbed her by her clothes and yanked her down. Alex then covered her mouth and nose with one hand as he grabbed her by the throat with the other hand," prosecutors told Judge Harvey. "She was 'seeing stars.' ... Alex then bit her on the left cheek after she grabbed Alex's hair in an attempt to get him to stop choking her."
The violent attack was not over, though.
"Alex shoved her face into the ground, bit her left side of her face, punched and kicked her. (She) observed the squad outside and Alex dragged her across the hallway to try and get her back into the apartment," prosecutors pointed out.
The victim advised Joliet police how she recently separated from Alex three days earlier and has been physically abused by him multiple times.
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