A Downers Grove police officer charged with assault after barricade incident
By: -----
Plainfield, IL - A Plainfield man is facing misdemeanor charges in connection with threatening a family member with a knife, crashing his vehicle into a light pole and yelling at someone while waving a firearm.
On Thursday, Plainfield police officials announced the charges against Ryan Harter, 41, after an investigation of the Nov. 23 incident in the 25400 block of West Springview Court in Plainfield.
The incident led police to engage in four hours of negotiation with Harter, who eventually was taken into protective custody and then sent to a hospital, Plainfield police officials said.
Harter has been with the Downers Grove Police Department since 2019, the department said.
After the department was notified of the incident Nov. 23 in Plainfield, Harter was immediately placed on leave pending an investigation, Downers Grove Police Chief Mike DeVries said.
Notification of the incident was made to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in compliance with the Safe-T Act, he said.
“The Downers Grove Police Department holds its officers to the highest standards and will complete a thorough investigation into the incident,” DeVries said.
Before joining Downers Grove, Harter was a police officer with the Forest Preserves of Cook County Police Department from 2007 to 2019.
At the time of the Nov. 23 incident, officers received information indicating that a 41-year-old man had barricaded himself inside a residence while in possession of a firearm, police said.
A perimeter was established around the residence, and officers from the Joliet Police Department’s Special Operations Squad were called to the scene to provide assistance, police said.
During the investigation, detectives uncovered additional details that were unknown to the police Nov. 23.
Harter was driving a vehicle occupied by three juvenile family members, and he threatened one of them with a knife, police said.
A short time later, Harter lost control of the vehicle and struck a light pole, police said.
Harter left the scene without contacting the police department, as required by law, and walked to his residence, police said.
While at his residence, Harter obtained a firearm and stepped onto his porch, where he yelled and waved the firearm at someone whom police officials described as an “uninvolved individual.”
After the investigation, Harter was taken into custody on charges of aggravated assault with a knife, aggravated assault with a firearm, leaving the scene of property damage, disorderly conduct and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Harter was then released from police custody.