Man hospitalized after fleeing into lake
By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com June 19, 2012 11:00PM
Updated: July 21, 2012 6:27AM
JOLIET — A wanted man was hospitalized after he reportedly tried escaping from officers in a lake Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Mike Trafton said police were tipped at 1:37 p.m. that Andrew Banaski, 20, was walking around the neighborhood to the south of the Louis Joliet Mall. Records show Banaski, of 3904 Hennepin Drive, has outstanding misdemeanor warrants for possession of drug paraphernalia and failing to appear in court on an assault charge.
When police found Banaski, he allegedly ran from them and went behind a house in the 3400 block of Lakeshore Drive.
“He ran through the yard and into the lake. He kept going out until he was almost chest deep and officers called for him to stop, but he refused and went under,” Trafton said.
The officers, whom Trafton did not identify, swam in to reach Banaski and called firefighters from Station 8. Police were able to bring Banaski to the shore but found he wasn’t breathing.
Police started CPR before an ambulance arrived to bring the suspect to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition as of 5 p.m.
