Cops: Man threatened to kill police officer with ice pick

(RIVERSIDE) A Southwest Side man is facing several charges after he threatened to kill a west suburban police officer with an ice pick, police said.

Jaime J. Cantellano

Jaime J. Cantellano, 21, of the 5400 block of South Keeler Avenue was charged with aggravated assault to a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass to land, battery to a police officer and unlawful use of a weapon, according to Riverside police.

An officer responded to the 300 block of Shenstone Road about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday after someone called 911 to report a suspicious man ringing a doorbell.

When the officer asked the man what he was doing, the man pulled an ice pick from his coat pocket, held it over his head and said, “I’m going to kill you,” police said. He continued threatening the officer and said, “You are all Freemasons and need to die.”

The officer drew his weapon and ordered the man to drop the weapon, but Cantellano—still holding the ice pick—ran eastbound on Shenstone, police said.

The officer called for assistance and chased Cantellano through driveways and yards until the suspect was cornered in a front yard in the 400 block of Blythe Road, police said.

The officers drew their guns and ordered him to drop the ice pick, but he refused until he was stunned by a Taser and officers tackled him, police said. He fought the officers until he was taken into custody.

Cantellano allegedly told officers on the way to the squad car, “You should have just killed me.”

He was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn for psychological and physical evaluation, and released into police custody two hours later, police said.

An investigation found Cantellano had taken a bus from Chicago to Riverside, where he got off at the mall. He had apparently worked for a landscape company which had a contract for cutting the grass at the home on Shenstone Road years earlier, police said.

Cantellano made a written confession, including admitting threatening to kill the officer, police said.

He told officers he believed the resident of the home was a Freemason and all free masons must be killed. Cantellano had allegedly tried to make contact with the resident multiple times over the last year.