IKEA Picketer Run Over, Fleeing Motorist Crashes Into Downtown Joliet Office Building: Police

JOLIET, IL — Police say a Joliet man from the Twin Oaks Apartments is now in the Will County Jail after crashing his car into the Morris Building in downtown Joliet on Monday morning following a second straight week of someone being hit by a vehicle during the ongoing labor dispute at the IKEA facility.

According to police spokesman Dwayne English, everything began at 7 a.m. at the IKEA distribution facility where the workers remain on strike against their company.

He said that the officers assigned to a labor demonstration near the IKEA Distribution Center saw a disturbance involving a male picketer and the driver of a Kia K4 near Emerald Drive and Cashel Road.

During the incident, English said the Kia was being driven aggressively in the area before leaving westbound on Emerald Drive at a high speed. Officers then found the picketer
lying in the roadway, where he reported being struck by the Kia. A subsequent review of surveillance video confirmed that the Kia struck the man and the driver continued to pursue him with the vehicle, English said.

The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported by the Joliet Fire Department to the Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment.

"Officers attempted to stop the Kia as it fled the area; however, the driver failed to stop and continued fleeing despite officers having their emergency lights and sirens activated. As the Kia
entered downtown Joliet, it traveled northbound on Chicago Street and disregarded a red traffic signal at Jefferson Street, colliding with a Buick Enclave that was traveling eastbound on
Jefferson Street with a green traffic signal," English said.

Following the first collision, the Kia struck two light poles
before striking the front of a building on Chicago Street. The driver of the Kia, identified as Devonte Jessup, 31, of Joliet, was taken into custody following the crash.

After being booked into the Will County Jail, Jessup was charged with:

• Aggravated Battery
• Aggravated Assault
• Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding a Peace Officer
• Reckless Conduct
• Reckless Driving.

He was also cited for Aggravated Speeding, Possession of Cannabis by a Driver, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle, Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Personal Injury, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident, and three counts
of Disobeying a Traffic Control Device.