Woman Bites Officer After Fleeing Walgreens: Joliet PD Bodycam Video

JOLIET, IL — In the middle of a steady rainstorm, 29-year-old shoplifting suspect Samantha Jo Bravato ran from the Joliet Walgreens at Ingalls and Larkin, climbing a fence to get away from the Joliet police officer chasing after her, according to the officer's body camera video.

As the officer held the Crest Hill woman by the arm, and threatened to deploy his Taser, Bravato bit the officer's hand to get away from him, according to the video.

Joliet Patch has obtained the Joliet Police Department's body camera video of the Sept. 17 arrest of Bravato. You can watch the entire video, nearly 24 minutes in length, at the bottom of this story.

The incident happened around 4:40 a.m.

"Ingalls and Larkin," the officer alerted Joliet police radio dispatch. "Female bit me. She's in the tree line here. Behind some fences."

The Joliet officer told his colleagues he was inside the Walgreens to speak with one of the employees about another case; that's when he suspected Bravato was shoplifting merchandise from the store.

Suddenly, Bravato took off running and the officer chased after her, eventually threatening to deploy his Taser on her, as she struggled to break free from his grip as she climbed over the chain-link fence.

"Hands up! You're under arrest," the officer warned. "Do you understand me?"

After the officer's hand was bitten, Bravato hid inside the thick brush during the heavy rainstorm, according to the footage. Several minutes later, another officer who arrived warned her a half-dozen times before sending a Joliet police K-9 into the woodlands to capture her.

"Joliet Police K-9! You're under arrest. Surrender now ... Make yourself known right now. He will find you. He will bite you," the K-9 officer announced repeatedly.

Within a couple of minutes, the Joliet police dog discovered Bravato's hiding spot in the bushes.

"Has she already cried for an ambulance?" one of the officers inquired.

"Yeah," several others remarked simultaneously.

Later, the officers returned to Walgreens to inspect Bravato's purse, finding the stolen merchandise, plus rocks of crack cocaine she had in her possession, according to the body camera video.

The officer, whose hand was bitten, was checked out by the Joliet Fire Department ambulance.

As for Bravato, the young woman from Crest Hill remained in the Will County Jail from Sept. 17 until Oct. 2. This marked her fourth incarceration since June 2022, her jail logs indicate.

Related Patch story: Walgreens Thief Hides In Bush After Biting Joliet Officer: Police