Prosecutors say that a Waukegan man threw food at a random person, swung a pipe and threw a traffic cone at police officers, before a struggle that left an officer injured in Park City.
Porfirio Vazquez-Diaz, 34, of Waukegan, was charged with assault, resisting a peace officer, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano said officers responded around 7:20 p.m. on July 30 to a call of an unwanted subject in Park City.
The witness told officers they were cooking outside when Vazquez-Diaz, who the witness does not know, arrived and appeared incoherent.
The witness gave Vazquez-Diaz water and then Vazquez-Diaz left the area.
Vazquez-Diaz returned to the area shortly after, grabbed a plate of food and threw it at the person, Mandujano said.
Vazquez-Diaz jumped into the back of a pickup truck, which did not belong to him, and officers found him hiding under ladders in the pickup truck bed.
Officers told the man to get out of the truck but Vazquez-Diaz began throwing items from the truck at officers, Mandujano said.
Vazquez-Diaz allegedly grabbed a traffic cone and threw it in the direction of the officers.
Mandujano said that Vazquez-Diaz then grabbed a metal pipe and swung it at officers.
The rear window of the truck was struck by the pipe, breaking the glass window.
Vazquez-Diaz continued swinging the pipe at officers, who deployed their tasers at the man. The tasers had no effect on the man.
Vazquez-Diaz “got winded” and stopped swinging the pipe, Mandujano said.
The officers grabbed the man out of the truck and a brief struggle ensued before they were able to take him into custody.
Vazquez-Diaz was incoherent and transported to the hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit, Mandujano said. It was learned he had cocaine and alcohol in his system.
One of the officers sustained an arm injury in the struggle and went to the hospital for treatment.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Vazquez-Diaz held on a $35,000 bond.