Man charged with fleeing cop shooting was out on bond for carjacking, prosecutors say
A South Side man out on bond for an alleged carjacking led police on a highspeed chase after fleeing the scene of a shootout that left a Chicago police officer and another suspect wounded, prosecutors said Thursday afternoon.
Blake Williams, 22, appeared before Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz, who set bail at $250,000 during a hearing that was broadcast live on YouTube.
Williams, who was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, receiving or possession of stolen motor vehicle and misdemeanor fleeing or attempting to elude police, was also ordered on electronic monitoring, Chicago police and prosecutors said.
Williams was arrested in south suburban Lansing about a half-hour after the shootout in the 9200 block of South Stony Island Avenue that began as a traffic stop.
During the exchange of gunfire, a Chicago police officer was shot in the leg while police shot another suspect who remained hospitalized.
In court, prosecutors said police spotted Williams in a stolen vehicle speeding away from the scene and gave chase, including with a helicopter, to the 2200 block of 184th Place in Lansing.
Officers found a loaded gun hanging out the opened driver’s side door of the vehicle that Williams fled in before he tried to hide in bushes in a yard, prosecutors said.
In that vehicle, police also found multiple license plates.
Williams’ attorney said he has lived in Chicago his whole life and currently lives with his brother. He is a high school graduate and has been working in a factory for the last few months, the attorney said.
Williams, who was out on bond for an aggravated vehicular hijacking charge, is also on probation for a misdemeanor charge of carrying or possession of a firearm, prosecutors said.
Before setting bond, Ortiz cited the fact that Williams was out on bond for a “violent crime,” and he presented an “extreme danger to the community.”
Charges were pending for two additional suspects in the police shooting case and Williams, of the 7900 block of South Wentworth Avenue, is due back in court on Wednesday.