Reward Offered in Hunt for Suspect in Trooper Attack

OAK FOREST, IL — State police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who attacked a trooper at a toll plaza in November.

Police in December released a sketch of the suspect in the Halsted Street Toll Plaza incident, who reportedly pointed a gun at the trooper, tussled with him, then escaped into the night. The trooper sustained a neck injury.

The reward was stated in a press release Wednesday, Chicago Tribune reports.

The trooper was in an unmarked car and in plain clothes on Nov. 7 around 7 p.m. when he tried to question a "suspicious" man on I-294. The man pulled a gun on the trooper and reached into the driver's side window of the trooper's car. The weapon fired several times, according to State Police, as the men fought for control of the weapon.

The man then ran from the scene, and a massive police response and search ensued on the interstate and in the neighborhoods surrounding the highway. Dogs and aerial units were used, but the attacker escaped. A firearm was recovered at the scene.

The trooper was hospitalized with a neck injury but he wasn't shot.

Police describe the attacker as a slender, black man in his late 40s to early 50s, about 5-foot-10-inches tall, about 180 pounds. He was bearded, but his beard was patchy and white in the chin area. At the time, he was seen limping and was wearing a construction vest and black jeans.

State police and Cook County Crime Stoppers are offering a cash reward of up to $1,000. The reward stands for 60 days. Tips should be called in to the Crime Stoppers hotline, 800-535-7867 or made online at www.cookcountycrimestoppers.org.

Dennis Robaugh contributed to this report.