Police find Waukegan man accused of dragging cop behind stolen car
Less than a week after he was accused of driving a stolen Volksawagen and dragging a police officer behind the car, a Waukegan 18-year-old has been taken into custody, authorities said Friday.
Waukegan police say they arrested Santos L. Martinez of the 1300 block of North Avenue in Waukegan about 2:40 p.m. Friday near Washington Street and Fulton Avenue. Police said Martinez was on foot when officers took him into custody on a $250,000 arrest warrant carrying charges of resisting a police officer and aggravated battery to a police officer.
The case began about 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3, when Waukegan police said they spotted a stolen 2005 Volkswagen 4-door at a gas station on the 900 block of Grand Avenue.
Authorities believe Martinez was driving the stolen car when police approached. The driver sped away quickly, police said, dragging one officer a short distance in the parking lot; the officer was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
The vehicle, which was reported stolen Nov. 29 from the 700 block of Belvidere Road, was found Monday after Waukegan resident reported seeing it abandoned Monday on the 100 block of South Butrick Street. Police continued searching for the driver.
Police on Tuesday issued a warrant for Martinez's arrest, describing him as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. Media attention to the case lead to plenty of calls, Waukegan Cmdr. Joe Florip said.
"The investigators had a lot of leads to follow up on," he said.
Three days later, police say they found Martinez less than a half-mile from where the stolen Volkswagen had been abandoned.
"We were happy when we spotted him today," Florip said, and it happened while investigating tips and conducting normal patrols.
Police said they will take Martinez to bond court in Lake County this weekend.