Man charged with escape from DuPage courtroom deputy

A Cicero man has been charged with escaping from a DuPage County sheriff’s deputy after his appearance in court, authorities said.

Javier Barajas, 23, faces one felony count of escape from an officer and one felony count of resisting or obstructing an officer.

In May, Barajas was charged with leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car. At his hearing in first appearance court, DuPage Judge Joshua Dieden denied prosecutors’ motion to detain Barajas pretrial.

On Oct. 29, while on pretrial release, Barajas was charged with five counts of aggravated possession of a stolen vehicle. Then on Oct. 30, he appeared in court, where he was released pretrial because the charges against him are not detainable under the law, according to the DuPage state’s attorney’s office.

The same day, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Barajas’ pretrial release for allegedly violating the conditions of his pretrial release on the first case. On Oct. 31, Barajas appeared in court where Judge Joseph Bugos granted the motion to detain him.

After Barajas’ pretrial release was revoked, he was taken into custody by a sheriff’s deputy. Authorities alleged that while the deputy was completing paperwork, Barajas slipped out of his handcuffs and quickly walked out of the courtroom, the state’s attorney’s office said in a news release Saturday. Barajas is accused of running down the hallway and escalators and eventually making it to the lobby of the courthouse.

Authorities said that once in the lobby, Barajas tried to run back up the escalator, but he was apprehended by multiple deputies. Authorities also said Barajas resisted arrest, refused to place his hands behind his back, and during a struggle to arrest him, a sheriff’s deputy sprained his left knee and ankle.

Barajas is next due in court for his arraignment on Nov. 25.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241102/news/man-charged-with-escape-from-dupage-courtroom-deputy/