A trio of suspects in Illinois were arrested after allegedly attacking a police officer after being pulled over and resisting arrest.
An officer with the Aurora Police Department, whose identity has not been released, pulled over 28-year-old Paul Sherrod at around 10:30 p.m. Monday night for allegedly rolling through a stop sign, according to NBC 5.
Sherrod and his two female passengers, 24-year-old Jennifer Taylor and 26-year-old Sheba Taylor, have all been charged with aggravated battery, resisting or obstructing a police officer, causing injury and aggravated assault of a peace officer, Fox News reported.
As Sherrod pulled over the vehicle into a driveway, he “began yelling obscenities out the window,” the Aurora Police Department said in a statement. A woman emerged from the vehicle’s back seat, and the officer “ordered her back into the car several times before informing her that she was under arrest for obstructing,” the press release added.
Authorities have so far not been able to establish whether the woman was Sheba or Jennifer Taylor.
‘I AM AT A LOSS OF WORDS’: Two women and one man have been arrested and charged for allegedly attacking, beating and strangling an Aurora police officer during a traffic stop Monday night. https://t.co/bFoZ9pjgeh
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) June 23, 2021
When the cop attempted to arrest the female suspect, Sherrod also got out of the vehicle and yelled obscenities while telling the officer he would fight him if the officer touched the woman, according to Aurora police.
The officer told Sherrod that he was under arrest for obstructing, and Sherrod took off running with the officer in pursuit, the statement also said. Sheba and Jennifer Taylor ran after the officer in pursuit of Sherrod.
One of the women got close, and the officer “turned around and grabbed her arm to take her into custody, but she slipped out of his grip,” the police statement reported. The two women “then began striking the officer with closed fists and kicking his body and head,” the Aurora Police Department statement went on to say.
“The officer heard a male’s voice and then was struck repeatedly in the head from several angles,” and one of the women “placed her forearm around the officer’s neck and applied significant force to his windpipe, causing him to lose the ability to breathe,” the statement claimed.
Additional officers arrived at the scene and placed the three suspects in custody, NBC 5 reported. Aurora Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and transported the officer to an area hospital.
“Our Aurora police officers are entrusted with keeping our community safe from harm. I am at a loss of words when an officer is physically attacked from something that would have been a simple traffic ticket,” Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said. “We will not allow our city to become a place where criminals feel emboldened, and lawlessness ensues.” (RELATED: Police Officer Gets Brutally Attacked While Trying To Make An Arrest, Bystanders Rush To His Defense)
“This was an act of malice and cowardice and I will absolutely seek that the perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin said. “Let’s keep this officer in our prayers as the officer makes a full and complete recovery.”