Crime & Safety

Thief Causes Violent Chase Through Mall Store

He pushed clothing racks to block officer's path, kicked police in chest and caused a head injury for an officer. An arrest is merely an accusation, not a conviction.

 

Troy Cameron, 27, of South Baltimore Street, Chicago, was charged with felony retail theft, two counts of battery and resisting a peace officer Thursday after he led police on a near-violent chase through a Golf Mill Shopping Center store to escape capture, according to the police report. It happened Thursday just before 6:15 p.m.

Police responded to a report of shoplifting in progress at a store, then located Cameron in an adjacent store. He had crouched down in the women's clothing section trying to hide. He tried to flee, police said, ignored the officer's orders to stop and knocked over racks to try to block the officer from following him.  

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cameron ran for the front doors, but hit a dead end in a display aisle. He pushed a shopping cart into the officer and took off running back into the store's main aisle, according to the report. 

The officer got behind him and deployed a TASER, and one prong hit Cameron's shirt and the other missed, police said. Cameron then turned and ran for the front doors, but a security agent was standing at the doors trying to block him. Cameron shoved the security agent, according to the report, causing the agent to fall backwards into the doors, and made it out the first set of doors toward the parking lot, but then tripped and fell, getting a cut on his head. 

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police caught up to him and told him to roll onto his stomach so they could handcuff him. They told him to place his hands behind his back and stop resisting, but he refused, repeatedly trying to climb to his feet, scoot or crawl away and hide his hands below his body, according to the report. Police repeatedly pushed him to the ground to prevent him from escaping, they said.

Cameron kicked the officer, striking him in the chest twice, and police used a TASER to stop Cameron from kicking and resisting, they said. A pocket knife fell out of Cameron's pocket while he was on the ground, the report indicated. 

Two security agents helped police get handcuffs on Cameron, and Niles Fire Department paramedics took him to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for treatment. The officer was transported to the same hospital by North Maine Fire Protection District for a head injury that occurred when his head hit a door jamb in the scuffle.

After Cameron was released from the hospital, police took him back to the police department for booking. They said store security reported he had taken a shirt, pants and socks valued at $79.27. 

His court date is June 27 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 105 of the Skokie branch of the Cook County courts.

Information is taken from reports.

Get local news delivered in your email. It's like getting a free newspaper. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.