Woman Found Guilty Of Biting Cop In Glendale Heights Gets 4 Years

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL — A Glendale Heights woman was sentenced to four years in prison after she was found guilty of biting a police officer in 2020. Tyler Russell, 27, was convicted of aggravated battery after a three-day jury trial in August 2023.

Police were called to a parking lot in the 500 block of Gregory Avenue around 9:30 a.m. on June 20, 2020, for a report of people who were arguing. According to prosecutors, Russell was found in the front seat of a car, which had an "odor of alcohol." Officers also reported finding an open case of beer and two open cans of beer in the vehicle.

According to police, they asked Russell to get out of the car and she began to walk away after doing so. Russell returned to the car after officers asked her. They then began to place her under arrest, at which time she bit an officer's right bicep, prosecutors said. The bite caused a "substantial injury" and the officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment, per a news release.

“Day in and day out, our police officers respond to calls not knowing what they will find once they get there,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

He added, “It is an extremely difficult and dangerous job and in DuPage County we are extremely lucky to have the best of the best ready and willing to protect us. I thank the officers involved in this case for their continued efforts in keeping our streets safe. We are all grateful that the officer, while scarred, has made a full recovery from the injury Ms. Russell inflicted upon him."