St. John Man Tasered Multiple Times After Telling Officers To Kill Him
On May 13th at approximately 1:30 p.m., Indiana State Trooper Dennis Griffin responded to a report of a disorderly male at the Flying J Truck Stop located at 3231 E 181st Ave. in Lowell, according to Sgt. Glen Fifield .
Witnesses reported a white male wearing a red shirt and gray sweatpants was yelling, “HELP ME” “HELP ME” as he ran across the parking lot and across State Road 2 towards the Pilot Gas Station, which is located north of the Flying J. The male subject then ran towards Trooper Griffin yelling, “HELP ME, HELP ME!” Trooper Griffin asked the man if he was okay or in need of medical assistance due to the male bleeding from his face and mouth.
The male ran away from Trooper Griffin, running back across St. Rd. 2. Trooper Griffin then chased after the subject as he again ran across St. Rd. 2. While running across the highway, the male was nearly struck by passing vehicles. Trooper Griffin gave the male multiple verbal orders to stop running, however he ignored those requests and continued to run towards the Pilot Gas Station, when he abruptly stopped and began walking towards the officer. Trooper Griffin again gave him orders to stop and lay down on the ground and he initially complied. The subject then stood up and again began advancing towards the officer telling him to “KILL ME, “KILL ME”!
The subject again fled on foot as Trooper Griffin chased after him. The subject stopped running and was ordered to lay on the ground. Trooper Griffin attempted to place the male in handcuffs, however he resisted by pulling away from him and attempted to stand up. A physical struggle then took place between the male subject and the officer. Additional officers arrived at the scene as the altercation continued. The male was able to get to his feet and attempted to run when he was tased by a trooper. The male momentarily laid on the ground, but then got up and attempted to run again. A second taser was deployed and the taser had little to no effect on the subject. The male again ran across the parking lot when he was taken to the ground by Trooper William Carlson. The physical altercation continued as the male continued to resist the officer’s orders to stop resisting. Officers were finally able to place handcuffs on the suspect’s wrists.
The subject was later identified as Allen Joseph O’Rourke, 27, from St. John, IN. An ambulance was requested to medically assess Mr. O’Rourke. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Mr. O’Rourke continued to resist by kicking his legs and trying to bite the officers. Mr. O’Rourke was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point for treatment.
The officers that arrested Mr. O’Rourke sustained scrapes and bruises during the altercation.
Mr. O’Rourke is preliminarily charged with Resisting Law Enforcement- Class A Misdemeanor and Disorderly Conduct- Class B Misdemeanor.
Assisting at the scene were the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and Tri-Creek EMS.
All persons named in this release are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. All charges mentioned are merely accusations, actual charges will be determined by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office.
