Man Hit 'Several Cars' While Fleeing Cops After Pulling Knife, Gun on West Chicago Resident: PD

WEST CHICAGO, IL — A West Chicago man faces felony charges after police say he hit "several cars" while fleeing police after pulling a knife and a gun on a resident on Galena Street.

Matt Waldow, 39, of the 200 block of Arbor Avenue, was charged with attempted armed robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer.

Police were called to the 100 block of Galena Street just after 12:15 p.m. for a report of an encounter with a man who had a gun.

According to prosecutors, Waldow walked up to a man's truck and told the man he should leave his neighborhood. Waldow is accused of displaying a knife and then pointing a gun at the man while demanding the man's phone.

The man pulled away from Waldow, who fled in a White Dodge Ram shortly after.

Police say officers tried to pull Waldow over near the corner Washington and Oakwood, but Waldow began to flee east on Washington .

Waldow is accused of speeding up to 90 mph in a zone marking for 45 mph and running a red light.

According to police, Waldow crossed traffic and hit "several cars" and a utility pole near the Pleasant Ridge mobile home park.

Prosecutors say a brief struggle ensued after Waldow got of his car, prompting officers to use a tazer on him. He was then taken into custody.

Police executed a search warrant for Waldow's home and reported finding a 14-inch knife, another knife and a Ruger handgun.

"The allegations that Mr. Waldow, a convicted felon, approached an innocent man sitting in his vehicle, pointed a loaded weapon at him, demanded the man’s cell phone and then proceeded to lead authorities on a dangerous high-speed chase that ended after he struck several vehicles and crashed into a power line pole are outrageous,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

Berlin added, “I have been sounding the alarm the past several years that it is only a matter of time before our luck runs out and someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of a defendant attempting to flee from the police. No one should lose their life because another individual mistakenly believes they can outrun the law and throughout DuPage County, law enforcement is committed to bringing an end to this epidemic before that happens."

Waldow is being held at DuPage County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court April 27.