Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— Police arrested a University Park man for a second time in less than a month, charging him again with fleeing and eluding. In this instance, the young man allegedly fled a traffic stop with a blown tire after an officer put a pursuit-prevention Terminator strip under a tire. The tire blew as the man drove off with the Terminator still attached to it.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning January 4, 2026
Aggravated Speeding
Police arrested Gabriel D. Misters Jr., 23, of the 600 block of Sandra Dr., University Park, on January 4 and charged him with failure to wear a seatbelt by a driver, electronic communication device, aggravated speeding, driving with one headlight, disregarding a traffic control device, reckless driving, and fleeing and eluding. Mr. Misters had an initial court date of March 3, 2026, at the Markham courthouse.
An officer patrolling at 10:57 PM saw a 2016 gray Dodge traveling southbound on Western Avenue from 26 Street with only one headlight illuminated, according to police. The officer performed a U-turn to catch up to the vehicle. The Dodge continued southbound on Western Avenue. While behind the car, the officer noted that the vehicle allegedly sped up, with the officer pacing the Dodge at 61 miles per hour in the 35 mph zone.
Activating his emergency lights, the officer curbed the vehicle near the intersection of Western Avenue and Court H-4. Approaching the vehicle, the officer spoke with Gabriel D. Misters Jr., informing him of the reason for the stop. During their conversation, the officer noted a strong smell of burnt cannabis emanating from inside the car, according to police. Mr. Misters allegedly had red and glassy eyes, police said.
Driver Allegedly Flees After Officer Places Terminator Strip Under a Tire
The officer went to the driver’s side window and instructed Mr. Misters to exit the vehicle. Mr. Misters allegedly refused to step out of the vehicle and placed it in Drive. The officer placed a Terminator spike strip under Mr. Misters’s tire and informed him of it. Mr. Misters then allegedly fled from the traffic stop, with the Terminator attaching itself to the rear driver’s side tire and deflating the vehicle’s tire, according to police.
Alerting SouthCom Dispatch of the situation, the officer pursued the vehicle southbound on Western Avenue, according to police. The Dodge went dark, turning off its lights, as the officer continued southbound, reaching a top speed of 67 miles per hour. As the officer accelerated, the vehicle allegedly continued to pull away, according to police. It then traveled through the red light at Western Avenue and Sauk Trail without stopping, police said.
Officer Self-Terminates Pursuit
The officer self-terminated the pursuit, reducing speed, and he turned off his lights and sirens. The pursuit lasted approximately 0.44 miles with the officer traveling at a maximum speed of 67 mph.
The officer drove to the car’s registered address. He found the vehicle in the driveway, with the door open, and a family member standing by the car. Mr. Misters Jr. then exited the vehicle and allegedly attempted to enter the residence. The family member stopped him from doing so. The officer took his department-issued firearm from its holster and pointed it at Mr. Misters Jr. The officer ordered Mr. Misters Jr. to the ground after the family member told him to do so. Mr. Misters Jr. complied, and the officer placed him in handcuffs.
Battery
Police arrested Cassius G. Pates, 32, of the 300 block of Nokomis St., Park Forest, on January 5 and charged him with one count of battery after police responded to the 100 block of S. Orchard Dr. to investigate a report of a battery incident.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Lesha N. Brewster-Scott, 46, of the 100 block of Nashua St., Park Forest, on January 6 and charged her with domestic battery when an officer responded to the Park Forest Police Department at 5:57 PM to investigate a walk-in report of domestic battery.
DUI with a BAC Over 0.08
Police arrested Joshua T. Graham, of the 35900 block of S. Elizabeth St., Chicago, on January 7 and charged him with driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving with a BAC over 0.08, and issued citations charging obstructing street traffic.
Two officers responded to the first block of Sauk Trail at 5:32 AM to investigate a report of a vehicle stopped in the roadway blocking traffic. Upon arrival, one officer observed a 2024 Nissan stopped in the roadway with its hazard lights on. A man, later identified as Joshua T. Graham, was asleep in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, according to police.
Police: Driver wakes and falls back to sleep.
The vehicle was in drive, and Mr. Graham’s foot was on the brake, police said. The driver’s window was rolled down, police said. The officer reached into the vehicle and put the car in neutral to prevent it from rolling forward, possibly causing a traffic accident or injuring someone else. Shaking Mr. Graham, the officer said “Sir” loudly for approximately 2.5 minutes, attempting to wake him.
According to police, Mr. Graham would wake up for a few seconds and then go back to sleep.
While attempting to wake him, the officer noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle. Park Forest Paramedics responded to the scene as Mr. Graham did not wake up and showed signs of extreme inebriation, police said.
Driver Wakes and Appears Confused
When he woke up, Mr. Graham appeared confused, police said. He had glossy eyes, slurred speech, and slowed movements, according to police. The officer asked Mr. Graham for his driver’s license. According to police, Mr. Graham passed over his driver’s license multiple times and attempted to hand over a debit card instead. He eventually found his license and provided it to the police. The license returned as valid, police said.
When police asked him where he was, Mr. Graham allegedly said he was just off the freeway in Country Club Hills, not in Park Forest. Police said Mr. Graham exited the vehicle and performed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After the tests, police arrested Mr. Graham on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol. Later, at the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Graham submitted a breath sample, which showed a BrAC of 0.124, according to police.
Domestic Battery
Police arrested Aryan Green, 20, of the 300 block of Mohawk St., Park Forest, on January 8 and charged him with domestic battery. Mr. Green allegedly struck another man in the face and bit the inside of his right forearm, according to the report. In the report, police detail case numbers and dates of 14 prior domestic disputes involving Mr. Green, going back to early July 2018.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting that the police officers arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on the information contained in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has consistently published the names and addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department) shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identification of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes that all those arrested by police are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g., “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.
We do not strike, “unpublish,” or delete news.
According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage individuals wishing to leave anonymous information regarding any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department’s Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
