Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Dragging Chicago Police Officer with Car
A man who dragged a Chicago police officer with his car during a 2021 traffic stop in Englewood, prompting the officer to fire a shot at him that missed, was sentenced on Tuesday to 12 years in prison.
Jermaine Little, 40, was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Malibu when officers pulled him over shortly before 7 p.m. on August 13, 2021. Police had been responding to a ShotSpotter gunfire alert in the area and noticed Little speeding away from where the shots had been detected.
Three uniformed officers approached the vehicle and reportedly smelled burnt marijuana, with a joint visible in Little’s center console. When one officer opened the driver’s door and tried to remove Little, he allegedly resisted, grabbed the steering wheel, and threw the car into reverse.
The passenger-side door struck one officer, who managed to jump aside, but another officer became trapped between the open driver’s door and the moving car. The trapped officer was dragged backward as Little accelerated. The officer fired a shot at Little but missed.
Little continued dragging the officer until the car hit a concrete lane divider and an SUV. He then drove forward and fled, abandoning the Malibu a short time later.
The incident was captured on police body-worn cameras, allowing officers to quickly identify Little as he had handed over his driver’s license before attempting to escape. The dragged officer sustained bruising across his lower body and temporarily could not bear weight on his right ankle.
Days later, police found Little hiding in a car parked outside a Burger King on the South Side. A loaded handgun was found in a backpack next to him. Little has prior felony gun convictions dating back to 2004.
Little pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Judge William Gamboney sentenced him to 12 years in prison for the attempted murder and a concurrent three-year term on the weapons charge.
Defense attorneys mentioned that Little had been shot three times since 2013, with the most recent incident occurring in 2020.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
