On Wednesday, 10-16-2019, at approximately 10:45 A.M., the Bloomington Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit was attempting to arrest a suspect related to a drug investigation who was also driving a stolen vehicle.
During the initial attempted arrest, the suspect had parked his vehicle downtown on Main St. south of Jefferson St. and fled on foot. Several BPD officers, including BPD’s canine unit, joined the foot pursuit. The suspect circled back and got back into the vehicle he was previously driving and tried to drive away. A Street Crimes officer drove his squad and attempted to park in front the suspect’s vehicle in order to stop the driver in the stolen vehicle from fleeing. The suspect rammed into the front of the BPD squad car, damaging his vehicle and damaging the squad car. The suspect continued driving recklessly downtown. He drove over several signs and damaged other property downtown as he fled from officers and drove west out of town.
Bloomington officers did not pursue the driver because of the suspect’s dangerous driving. Information about the incident was passed along to the Illinois State Police. The Illinois State Police spotted the vehicle on Interstate 74 but they also discontinued following it after a period of time. A few hours later from the initial encounter, the suspect was arrested in Peoria by the Peoria Police Department. The suspect was later transported to the McLean County Jail.
The suspect was identified as David S. Hughes, 26, of New York State. He was arrested for:
-Aggravated Fleeing/Eluding an Officer
-Manufacture / distribute look-alike substance (powder)
-Obstructing Justice
-Reckless Driving
-Driving on Suspended License
-Possession of a Stolen Vehicle
His bond amount will be set by a judge. The officer and suspect were not injured during the incident.
The suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law.
