Trump-Backing Suburban Cop Pulls Gun On Woman, Later Placed On Leave: Police

NORTH RIVERSIDE, IL – An off-duty suburban police officer in April pulled a gun on a female driver, removed her from her car and put her in handcuffs, police said.

That was after she struck a curb; the officer said he thought it was worse.

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Daniel Miller, a Forest Park lieutenant, was in neighboring North Riverside's jurisdiction. He was driving his own car and wearing a shirt promoting President Donald Trump.

Miller is on administrative leave from his department.

Miller also owns Stars & Stripes Sports Lounge in Indian Head Park, which is near La Grange and Western Springs.

The woman was Breanna Pantoja, an 18-year-old Brookfield resident coming home from work. She has spoken publicly about what happened.

Through a public records request, Patch has obtained police reports and videos from North Riverside police.

During the rainy afternoon of April 27, Pantoja turned left from Cermak Road onto First Avenue. She said her car slid out of control and struck a curb near the Big Corner Tavern.

She did not get out of her 30-year-old Yukon SUV, but surveillance footage showed her looking through her window to assess what was damaged, police said. She said she only hit the curb. Police quickly confirmed that fact.

In an interview with officers, Miller said he was at the traffic light and heard a loud noise. He said he saw Pantoja's car off the road, then witnessed her driving away.

He told officers he suspected a hit-and-run crash had occurred.

He chased the woman for a short distance and then pulled in front of her. Miller brandished a gun and demanded she get out of her car, with another driver documenting part of the incident on video.

Crying, Pantoja described the incident to officers afterward.

"I thought I was going to (expletive) die. He pulled a gun out on me with no badge," Pantoja said. "He kept insisting I had a weapon."

She said Miller gave her contradictory orders.

"He's telling me to stop reaching. How the (expletive) am I supposed to turn off my (expletive) car? It's not a fancy, nice car," she said.

She blamed the incident at the intersection on bald tires. The SUV had been with the family, she said, since her father arrived in the United States.

She said she asked to see a badge, but Miller did not do so. Miller said he told the woman that he was an officer.

In her interview with officers, Pantoja asked what she could do about Miller.

North Riverside Sgt. Theodore Roberson told her, "I highly recommend that you go over to Forest Park and that you file a complaint."

She doubted that would do any good.

"Nothing is going to happen," she said. "I know how all of this stuff works."

She filed a complaint anyway.

Based on police documents, Pantoja was not charged.

Neither was Miller.

In a report, Kyle Pinelli, a North Riverside detective, cleared the lieutenant, saying police officers aren't the only ones who can make arrests.

He cited a state law that says that any person "may arrest another when he has reasonable grounds to believe an offense other than an ordinance violation is being committed."

Pinelli said his department determined Miller had reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offense had occurred.

Until recently, Miller was the chairman of North Riverside's Civil Service Commission. The panel oversees the hiring, promotion and discipline of police officers and firefighters.

He told police that he was coming from the North Riverside police station. He was wearing a shirt that said "Trump 45" on the back and "USA 45" on the front, referring to the fact that Trump was the 45th president in his first term.

Miller's license plate reads, "PREZ 45." He had a gun holstered when he spoke to officers.

Miller did not return a message from Patch on Monday.

In 2017, Miller shot and killed Marco Gomez, who was driving a stolen car in Forest Park, the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark newspaper reported.

Gomez's family sued Forest Park, with the village settling for $600,000 in 2021, the newspaper said.