Cop Threatened Child With Knife Before Crashing, Barricading Himself In Plainfield Home: Cops

PLAINFIELD, IL — Before barricading himself in his home with a gun on Nov. 24, a Plainfield man threatened a child with a knife, then crashed his car and fled, Plainfield police said in an update Thursday.

Plainfield police revealed charges against the man, identified Thursday as Ryan D. Harter, along with new details about the incident in the 25400 block of West Springview Court. Harter, 41, began working as a police officer in Downers Grove in 2019, Plainfield police confirmed Friday to Patch.

"During the investigation, detectives uncovered additional details that were unknown to members of the Plainfield Police Department on the day of the incident," Cmdr. Anthony Novak wrote in a news release.

The incident days before Thanksgiving began when the Plainfield Police Department received a report of a car crash on Renwick Road, west of Drauden Road. The driver, Harter, lost control of the vehicle and hit a light pole, officials said in the update. He then left the scene without contacting police, as required by law, and walked to his residence.

The car was occupied by Harter and three children, none of whom were injured, Patch previously reported. Following the collision, the children "walked home with or near Harter," Novak said.

"We have no indication that Harter was operating the motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs," Novak told Patch on Friday.

RELATED: Man With Gun Barricaded Himself In Plainfield Home After Crashing Car Occupied By Kids: Police

While at his home, Harter "obtained a firearm and stepped onto his porch, where he yelled and waved the firearm at an uninvolved individual," the update from police said. The children were inside a different house in the area at the time, Novak told Patch in November.

After a four-hour-long negotiation, Harter was taken into protective custody, then to a local hospital.

When Patch first spoke to police about the incident, officials reported that it was "more of a mental health incident than a criminal investigation." At the time, no criminal charges were filed, nor were any pending.

On Thurdsay, Novak said the 41-year-old man was issued five charges: Aggravated assault with a knife, aggravated assault with a firearm, leaving the scene of a property damage motor vehicle crash, disorderly conduct, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Plainfield detectives apprehended Harter at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, processed his arrest at police headquarters and released him from custody.