How a Naperville police officer stopped robber amid violent attack
Naperville police Officer Courtney Madden credits her training for helping her stop a fleeing suspect in a violent robbery last August.
Department leaders say it was her keen instincts, tenacity and courage that allowed her to single-handedly find and arrest the man — even as he was throwing punches and attempting to choke her.
Police were called to a Mobil gas station at 1280 W. Ogden Ave. for a burglary in progress the night of Aug. 14. The clerk reported that he had been beaten by a man who forcibly grabbed money from the register and ran away, officials said.
Officers are trained to be observant, especially when responding to calls for crimes in progress, said Madden, 29, who had been with the department about three years at the time. So on her way to the station, she kept her eyes peeled for a man matching the description of the suspect — and she spotted him walking along Ogden Avenue.
She made a U-turn, got out of her squad car and attempted to talk to the man. That's when he started to bend down and reach for his waist, making Madden wonder if he was reaching for a weapon or planning an attack.
Madden attempted to arrest the man, who was much larger than her. He responded by punching her in the face, grabbing her and trying to choke her, officials said.
“We got into a little tussle,” Madden said. “That was my first fight one-on-one. The adrenaline dump is real.”
With her radio microphone ripped off during the fight, Madden wasn't able to call for backup. She positioned herself to prevent the suspect from putting her into a choke hold and reached for her Taser.
When the man tried to escape, Madden fired her Taser once, then two more times after he continued to resist arrest, officials said. She finally was able to place him in handcuffs and call for assistance from her fellow officers.
“This was a very violent encounter,” Deputy Chief Jason Arres said. “This wasn't just somebody who pushed or pulled her. He struck her multiple times and she held her ground, fought back valiantly and eventually was able to take this guy into custody by herself.”
Madden was taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville and treated for her injuries. The outpouring of support she received afterward from her bosses and co-workers has been “really incredible,” she said.
“I really was just doing my job,” Madden said. “I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
But staying levelheaded in a dangerous situation, prevailing in a violent attack and preventing further crime is a considerable feat, even for police officers, Arres said.
“For her to show the courage to stay in the fight and take this suspect into custody, I'm just extremely impressed,” he said. “We're really proud of her interactions that day and how she carried herself.”
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