New Year's Day Arrest: Joliet Woman Screaming On Black Road, Cops Say

JOLIET — For the fourth time since 2019, 26-year-old Joliet resident Donna Zavala is lodged in the Will County Jail, and her latest felony arrest took place during the early morning hours of New Year's Day.

Joliet police booked Zavala, who comes from the 1600 block of East Washington, into the jail on charges of aggravated battery to a police officer. She remained in custody as of 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan 2.

Zavala was not first, but she was one of the first persons in Joliet arrested in 2025.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, there was a taser involved in her arrest. He said that at 3:42 a.m. Jan. 1, officers responded to the area of Black Road and North Reed Street for a welfare check after a call had been received that a woman was walking in the area while screaming.

An officer found Zavala near Black Road and Catherine Street and inquired is she needed any assistance. Zavala initially ignored the officer and kept walking, but then indicated she did not need assistance and began to run away, police said.

The officer noticed that Zavala had left behind a bookbag on the sidewalk. When the officer tried to retrieve the bag, Zavala ran at the officer and pushed the officer to the ground, English said. The officer deployed a Taser, which was unsuccessful. Zavala was then placed into custody by assisting officers.

A year ago, in January 2024, Zavala was the subject of another Joliet Patch crime story, one headlined, "Woman, 24, Uses Honda Civic As Weapon, Man's Leg Injured: JPD"

Patch reported that the young Joliet woman from Joliet's east side was arrested on felony charges over the weekend after Joliet police say Donna Zavala used her Honda Civic as a dangerous weapon, trying to run over a man she's had a romantic relationship with. The incident left the man with a leg injury, however, he declined to go to the hospital by a Joliet Fire Department ambulance.