Villa Park police: Harvey man fled traffic stop while driving stolen car

A Harvey man is being held without bail and facing charges after he fled an attempted traffic stop while driving a stolen car in Villa Park on Thursday, officials said.

Michael Ducksworth, 35, is already on parole for a 2020 conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in Cook County, and now has been charged with armed habitual criminal, unlawful possession of a weapon while on parole, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, illegal possession of a controlled substance, and multiple misdemeanor traffic offenses including fleeing or eluding a police officer, according to a news release from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

According to police, a Villa Park officer ran the license plate of a suspicious vehicle and found that it had been reported stolen in Harvey. The officer tried to pull over the driver, but the driver didn't stop until after a two-mile pursuit that ended in Oakbrook Terrace, the release stated. Once the car stopped, the driver, whom police identify as Ducksworth, ran away.

Once officers caught up to him, they found he had a gun with five bullets in the magazine and two 8-balls of cocaine, the release said.

Ducksworth's next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 21 in Wheaton.