Driver shot by Joliet police near Wendy’s hit with drug charges

Drug charges were filed against a Dolton man who was shot by police on Tuesday after he reportedly struck one officer with a vehicle and attempted to run over other officers, police said.

Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said on Thursday that officers were attempting to arrest William Jenkins, 38, after a drug investigation determined he had delivered cocaine to undercover agents on multiple occasions.

Jenkins was was released from May 24 and was on parole, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Prosecutors charged Jenkins with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance. Jenkins delivered substances containing cocaine on Oct. 5, Oct. 7 and Oct. 20, according to a criminal complaint.

On Wednesday, Judge Art Smigielski signed a warrant for Jenkins’ arrest. The warrant carries a $500,000 bond. Jenkins has yet to be taken to jail as he remains in the hospital following Tuesday’s mayhem outside the Wendy’s at 104 N. Center St.

The Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the police shooting of Jenkins. The task force investigates police shootings and consists officers from various jurisdictions.

Romeoville Police Chief Ken Kroll, the task force spokesman, released a statement that said officers attempted to stop a vehicle in the parking lot of Wendy’s prior to the shooting.

While officers attempted to make the traffic stop, the driver, identified by the task force as Jenkins, put his vehicle in reverse and struck an officer, pinning him between Jenkins’ vehicle and a police vehicle.

Assisting officers arrived on scene as the officer was struck by Jenkins’ vehicle, Kroll said. Jenkins’ attempted to run over the assisting officers as they arrived, he said.

“The assisting Joliet officer’s discharged their firearms, striking the suspect,” Kroll said.

Kroll said both Jenkins and the officer who was struck by the vehicle were hospitalized.

Kroll said that Jenkins was “hit with multiple bullets and/or bullet fragments.” He said Jenkins is alert and recovering in a hospital.

Kroll said the officer struck by the vehicle did not fire his weapon at Jenkins. He said that officer was struck by the vehicle and dragged. The officer was treated and released from the hospital, he said.

Chewanda Jenkins, who said she is Jenkins’ sister, said on Wednesday that she had many “unanswered questions” about the incident. She said she learned from her mother that her brother was intubated at the hospital and in an intensive care unit.

Jenkins said the police want to paint her brother “as some vigilante.”

When asked if Jenkins would face charges in connection with the Wendy’s incident, Kroll said the case remains an active investigation.