Police Tase Man They Say Reached For Gun During Arrest

PARK FOREST, IL — Multiple Park Forest police officers and the use of a Taser were needed to take a man into custody Christmas Eve after police said the 20-year-old attempted to reach for a pistol.

Officials told Patch an officer pulled a vehicle over on Dec. 24 at around 4 p.m. after a license plate scan showed a registration violation.

While talking with the driver of the car, a second officer on the scene noticed the back seat passenger was carrying what looked like an "extended ammunition magazine" in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, authorities said in a social media post.

"Officers recognized the man as a convicted felon who was currently on parole for weapon offenses, including Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, and was not allowed to possess weapons," a spokesperson for the department told Patch.

Police said the man would not obey orders to keep his hands up and instead locked the car doors so police could not get in. After officers were able to get into the car and take the 20-year-old Park Forest man out, he "actively resisted arrest" and began to reach for the front pocket of his sweatshirt.

Officers said they used a Taser on the man in order to get him into handcuffs. Once he was restrained, police said they found a loaded handgun in the front pocket of the sweatshirt where the man was reaching for.

"Many cities across America are experiencing historic violent crime rates," a spokesperson told Patch. "The Park Forest Police Department will continue to actively remove illegally possessed firearms and arrest the criminals who possess them to make Park Forest safer."

The man's name has not yet been released. Police told Patch he is facing charges of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and resisting a peace officer.