Man charged with fleeing police, injuring officer

A man from Elmhurst is being detained pretrial, accused of fleeing police after a crash and injuring an officer during his arrest.

Gratas Zvirblis, 21, of the 900 block of Spring Road, is charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding, resisting a peace officer ‒ causing injury, resisting a peace officer and more than a dozen misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses, according to a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The release said that around 9:17 p.m. Thursday, Lombard police investigated a crash on I-88 involving a gray BMW that had left the scene on eastbound Butterfield Road.

An officer found it, allegedly driven by Zvirblis, at Meyers Road, being driven on one rim.

Authorities allege he did not stop after police turned on their emergency lights and siren but instead drove to Spring, where he rear-ended another vehicle.

Zvirblis continued to drive off, then ran west on the 900 block of Spring in Elmhurst. He tried to jump over a fence, but an officer grabbed him, and both fell, according to the release. Zvirblis struggled as the officer handcuffed him, and the officer injured an elbow, causing swelling and bleeding, according to court records.

The release said Zvirblis had glassy eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

He also is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of injury crashes, driving over a median, driving through a red light, driving without insurance and use of unsafe tires, according to court records.

At the time, Zvirblis had an outstanding warrant for his arrest on misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct. According to the charges, at 9:58 a.m. Oct. 6, he displayed a silver handgun lookalike to a man and a woman during a road-rage incident in Westmont.