Frankfort Man Arrested Following Bizarre Police Chase In Mokena

MOKENA, IL — Mokena police said they have arrested the man who led them on a bizarre chase Thursday night in downtown Mokena.

Police charged James G. Hurley, 55, of Frankfort, with a felony count of aggravated fleeing/attempting to allude a peace officer, according to Mokena Police Interim Chief Brian Benton. Hurley also faces charges of reckless driving, improper overtaking and disobeying a traffic Control device.

Mokena police responded to a call at approximately 10:25 p.m. Thursday for reckless driving in the 11000 block of Front Street in the area of Tribe's Beer Company & Taproom and across from the Metra lot, according to Mokena Police Interim Chief Brian Benton. Police attempted to stop the SUV, driven by Hurley, but he refused, police said.

Video of what appears to be the chase shows Hurley driving over a sidewalk and grassy area from the Metra lot and speeding east down Front Street, then crossing again into the lot heading west before again turning onto Front Street and repeating the strange maneuver. Mokena police vehicles can be seen on the video with the squad vehicles' lights on and sirens blaring as they attempted to block Hurley's vehicle on Front Street and in the Metra lot.

"Due to the fact that the identity of the driver was known to the officers from previous contact, the offender was wanted for a misdemeanor traffic offense, and the officers could obtain an arrest warrant later, combined with the fact that the driver showed no signs of stopping for the officers, the pursuit was terminated in accordance with department policy," Benton told Patch.

Mokena detectives contacted Hurley Monday morning and told him that if he did not surrender himself to the Mokena Police Department that an arrest warrant would be issued, Benton said. Hurley said he would turn himself in Monday afternoon, and at approximately 4 p.m. he did just that, Benton said. Hurley was booked and detained at The Will County Adult Detention Facility, Benton said.

"Please note that this same offender was ticketed from leaving the scene of a property damage accident by the Mokena Police Department earlier Thursday evening in the same car that he was observed driving recklessly that night on Front Street," Benton said. "This is how they knew who he was and had confirmed his identity."

Benton said the longer a pursuit lasts, the greater the danger becomes to the public.

"Because of this, officers are trained to terminate a pursuit under these circumstances," he said. "If the offender was wanted for a serious felony, or if we had information that the subject intended to harm another, additional tactics would have been used to detain the offender."

The Mokena Police Department explained in a post on its Facebook page Friday that officers may only pursue a vehicle "for the commission of a forceable felony," citing Illinois state statute, case law and Mokena Police Department policy, adding that "Officers may not pursue when the identity of the driver is known and the swift apprehension of the driver is outweighed by the risks associated with continuing efforts to apprehend the driver."