Des Plaines public works employee honored for detaining man who punched cop

A Des Plaines municipal employee who helped detain a man who had attacked a police officer was publicly honored Monday.

Jeff Krantz, a crew leader in the public works and engineering department’s sewer division, received an Honorable Mention Award during the evening’s city council meeting.

The recognition stemmed from a Jan. 26 encounter on the 2500 block of Dempster Street.

That morning, Krantz was closing a traffic lane ahead of some infrastructure work when he saw a man fighting with officer Nick Braski.

Minutes earlier, Braski had approached 35-year-old Ankit Dixit, who was trying to pour gasoline from a can into the tank of a Mazda SUV that was stopped on the street, documents indicate. Gasoline was spilling onto the street, authorities said, creating a hazard.

Dixit was “foaming at the mouth and acting erratically,” Krantz’s citation reads. Concerned about his behavior and mental state, Braski tried to stop Dixit from getting into his car and driving away. But Dixit punched Braski, documents indicate, and the men scuffled on the roadway.

Krantz, a city employee since 2020, ran over and held Dixit on the ground until more officers arrived.

“The courage and willingness Jeffrey Krantz showed during a tense and rapidly evolving situation to aid Officer Braski during a physical altercation has brought great credit to himself and the Department of Public Works,” the citation reads.

Dixit, of the 9000 block of West Emerson Street in Des Plaines, was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for a psychological evaluation. He subsequently was charged with felony aggravated battery and resisting a peace officer, police said.

Braski was injured but didn’t require a hospital visit.