Glendale Heights officer on leave after arrest of woman
A Glendale Heights police officer was placed on administrative leave and the village has hired a security risk management firm to handle an investigation into the arrest of a woman Monday morning recorded by bystanders.
Glendale Heights Village President Linda Jackson said in a statement Monday evening that "while the video is shocking to see, significant portions of the video are missing from the publicly available posts."
She said the village has hired the Hillard Heintze security risk management firm to investigate "the facts and circumstances of the officer's actions and arrest."
Glendale Heights police reported officers were called to a domestic disturbance on the 500 block of Gregory Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Monday. Once there, officers saw a man and woman arguing in a vehicle.
Officers believed the woman behind the wheel of the car was intoxicated and reported they attempted to place her under arrest when she became combative.
During the arrest, police said, an officer was bitten on his arm and punched in the face. The officer and the woman ultimately were taken to a hospital for treatment.
A minute-long video circulating on social media picks up as two male officers are struggling to place handcuffs on the woman. The woman's clothing comes loose as she struggles and bystanders are asking why a female officer isn't assisting.
A third male officer is urging a man to back away from the arrest as the man tries to intervene.
The woman keeps screaming that she wasn't driving and asking why they are arresting her.
The woman, Tyler Russell, 23, of the 200 block of Joel Court in Glendale Heights, has been charged with one count of aggravated battery to a peace officer-great bodily harm, according to DuPage County court records. The charge says she bit an officer in the right arm, causing "severe" damage. Bail was set Tuesday at $35,000.
"The video of the arrest that is circulating on social media is shocking and distressing to see," Jackson said. "We must preserve the trust of our community by being as transparent as possible."
Lissa Druss, village spokesman, said that since the village solicited private videos yesterday, it has received several other videos of the case.
Glendale Heights police officers do not wear body cameras. Squad cars do have dashboard cameras that are activated when the emergency lights are turned on; the village is investigating to see if any of those cameras were running and captured what happened.
Russell has been on two years of second-chance probation since January, after pleading guilty to retail theft from a Walmart. If she completes the probation, the case will be dismissed. One condition of probation is that she not commit any criminal activity.
Jackson is urging anyone who witnessed the arrest or anyone with additional videos to call investigators at (630) 909-5453.
• Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.