Afternoon news update: July 30, 2015

On Wednesday July 29, 2015, shortly before 7:00 P.M., Rockford Police Officers responded to the area of 600 15th Street for a report of a man in a vehicle trying to run people over. Upon arrival, Officers located the vehicle parked near the intersection and detained the driver, 56 year old Roy Williams, who was a neighborhood resident. The subsequent investigation revealed that the 13-year-old daughter of Mr. Williams had been involved in a fight with other juveniles in the area of Nelson Elementary School. Once Mr. Williams learned of the incident, he returned to the area in his 2006 Dodge Durango to locate the other parties to the fight. Once he arrived, he parked his vehicle, got out with a cane, and threatened bodily harm to two 14 year old girls that were in the group. They ran from him and he chased after them in his vehicle. He drove his vehicle off the roadway and accelerated toward a group of 12 juveniles who were on the sidewalk and terrace at the school. The children were able to flee from the vehicle and no one was injured; however, Mr. Williams then also called the police to report the initial fight. The investigation into the initial fight did not result in any charges and the fight did not result in injuries. Officers arrested Roy Williams and lodged him in the Winnebago County Jail on charges of Aggravated Assault with a Vehicle (12 counts), Aggravated Assault on Public Property (12 counts), Assault (2 counts), Reckless Driving, and Reckless Conduct.
A string of gas station robberies continued into this week as police search for two suspects who robbed a Phillips 66 early this morning. Authorities were called to the Phillips 66 gas station at 4402 Linden Road around 1:15am this morning. The cashier says two Hispanic males entered the store, one armed with a handgun, demanding money. They were able to get away with cash. The suspects are described as follows: (1) Hispanic male, 5'2'' and 135 lbs with dark curly hair wearing all black. (2) Hispanic male, 5'2'' and 135 lbs with dark short hair also wearing all black. Both suspects got away on foot. Anyone with information on them or the incident is urged to call Rockford Police at (815) 987-5824. This robbery follows a series of gas station robberies and various locations last week, several of which involved Hispanic male suspects. It is unclear if this incident is related.
A police chase that ended at Chestnut and Church streets downtown sends the driver and another motorist to the hospital. The driver was believed to have robbed a pawn shop on Riverside Blvd around six o’clock but was then spotted by Loves Park police shortly after. Hitting speeds of more than 50 miles an hour downtown the teen robbery suspect crashed into another car near the BMO Harris Bank Center. Police say they're also looking into whether the suspect was linked to an armed robbery at a bus station near Custard and Rockton where a man put a gun to an elderly woman's head as she got off the bus.
Drivers and front-seat passengers in Illinois are buckling up at the highest rate in state history. Transportation officials put the number at just over 95 percent, up about one percent from last year. The mandatory seat-belt law in Illinois is 30 years old.
A new Greyhound bus route means Northern Illinois University in DeKalb now has service from Chicago. The NIU stop is part of the bus carrier's Interstate 88 corridor route, which runs from Chicago to Davenport, Iowa. The route is partially funded with a federal grant.

Categories: Articles