Crime & Safety
Armed Gangster Dashed Through Hammel Woods But Couldn’t Outrun Cops: Police
He ran away from a traffic stop and ditched his pistol in the woods, police said.
SHOREWOOD, IL — An armed gangster fled a traffic stop and dashed into Hammel Woods, where he ditched his pistol before the cops could shock him with a Taser and take him into custody, police said.
Jeremy Durr, 24, was stopped on Brook Forest Avenue near Ridge Road about 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The side windows of Durr’s Infiniti were “tinted well beyond the legally permitted light-emittance range and the officer could not see the driver,” police said. A registration check also allegedly showed the owner had a suspended license.
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Durr, a Romeoville resident, pulled into the back parking lot of a business near the Hammel Woods treeline, police said, but quickly began to misbehave.
“Durr disregarded several orders by the Shorewood officer to stay in his vehicle and ultimately fled on foot into Hammel Woods,” police said. “Durr held an object in the waistline of his pants while the officer ordered him back into his car and while Durr ran from the scene of the traffic stop.”
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Officers pursued Durr “into the densely wooded forest preserve and eventually caught up to him,” police said. “Durr refused to comply with the arrest and another Shorewood officer deployed his Taser. The Taser probes made contact with Durr and Durr immediately fell to the ground. Officers handcuffed Durr without injury to the officers or Durr.”
The cops reportedly couldn’t find what Durr was holding while he ran. A Channahon police dog then searched the woods and located a loaded .40-caliber Hi-Point pistol about 30 feet into the woods.
Woods was taken to the Will County jail. On Thursday he was charged with possession of a firearm by a gang member and possession of a firearm by a felon.
This wasn’t the first time Durr ran into trouble in Shorewood. In March, he was arrested for allegedly attacking the owner of the troubled country and western themed nightspot Skooter’s Roadhouse.
Durr’s case in connection with that incident remains pending.
Jeremy Durr | image via Will County Sheriff's Department
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