EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The man believed to have intentionally struck a Rock Island police squad car on March 16 is now in the Rock Island County Jail for several criminal charges, according to the East Moline Police Department.
Rock Island police began searching for Jacob E. Martin, 20, of East Moline on March 16 after he "engaged in numerous attempts to provoke officers into pursuing him, oftentimes swerving directly at officers on foot or in a squad car."
Rock Island police said Martin attempted to instigate an altercation with an officer several times before he "intentionally struck the driver's side of the squad car, endangering the officer's life and causing significant damage to the squad car."
A pursuit ensued and Martin got away.
On Saturday, March 18, East Moline officers responded to the area in the 200 block of 30th Avenue in an attempt to locate a stolen white Nissan Sentra, which had been spotted by one of the department's automated license plate reader cameras.
The car wasn't in the immediate area where police searched, so they went to the area where Martin's relative lives in the 500 block of 17th Avenue. The car was located and then officers went to the home to locate Martin.
Martin surrendered to police and was transported to the Rock Island County Jail, where he remains on the following charges:
- Burglary out of Warren County.
- Aggravated battery out of Knox County.
- Possession of a stolen vehicle out of Rock Island County.
- Possession of a stolen vehicle out of Rock Island County.
- Possession of a stolen vehicle out of Rock Island County.
- Burglary to a motor vehicle out of Rock Island County.
An additional charge for possessing a stolen vehicle has been filed since Martin's arrest.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel
