A man accused of fleeing a traffic stop and sending three Chicago Police officers to the hospital before he was shot by police early Sunday on the Far South Side has been ordered held without bond.
Dwane Rowlett, 43, was charged with one felony count of aggravated fleeing, one misdemeanor count of DUI and three misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer, according to Chicago Police. He was also issued two traffic citations.
On Tuesday, Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Rowlett held in Cook County Jail without bond, court records show.
Police noticed a white Hyundai SUV speeding and running a stop sign at 2:20 a.m. near the 12500 block of South State Street, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at an unrelated press conference Sunday.
Rowlett initially stopped the car when officers tried to pull it over, but he drove south after officers left their car. Police followed the car for about five blocks and saw it drive up on the sidewalk.
Finally, the SUV sideswiped several cars and crashed into a police squad car, injuring the officers. Police approached the car and found Rowlett in the driver’s seat. Johnson said the man struggled as officers tried to restrain him, and that’s when an officer shot him two times.
Rowlett was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was listed in critical but “stable” condition Sunday.
No gun was found at the scene of the shooting. The hospitalized officers were in good condition. The officer who fired at the suspect has been placed on administrative duty for 30 days, which is routine.
Rowlett, of the 12900 block of South Aberdeen, was next scheduled to appear in court Jan. 9.
Rowlett is also listed as a sexual predator on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. He was previously convicted in Cook County of the criminal sexual assault by force of a 16-year-old victim when he was 31 years old.
