Man Who Stopped Driver for Parking in a Handicap Space Cited by Police

A 49-year-old man from Palos Park landed in a bit of trouble after he tried to stop someone who had illegally parked in a handicap space.

Police were called at about 8:33 p.m. on May 26 to Walgreens, 14680 LaGrange Rd., to investigate a parking dispute, according to an Orland Park police report.

The Palos Park man, who is a disabled veteran, had used his foot to stop a 30-year-old man from Aurora from leaving after he had momentarily pulled into a handicap parking spot at Walgreens, the report states. The driver was issued a ticket for parking illegally. The man from Palos Park was cited for disorderly conduct.

According to the police report, the driver said his wife and child wanted to use a Redbox movie dispenser at the store and that there were no other available parking spots. He pulled into the handicap spot, giving his wife and child the chance to get out of the car, and with the intention of backing out to find a legal spot.

Before he could leave, the driver was approached by the Palos Park man, according to the report. He started yelling at the driver for being in the spot and put his foot behind one of the tires to prevent him from leaving. The two then began to argue. The Palos Park man allegedly struck the vehicle several times with is cane, according to the driver's account of events. No damage was done to vehicle.

The Palos Park man claimed that his foot was run over, the report states. He declined medical treatment said he was not hurt. He told police he was upset that someone pulled into the spot who should not have and admitted to putting his foot behind the tire and said it was run over but denied striking the vehicle with his cane.

The driver admitted to temporarily parking in the handicap spot but was not initially cited, the report states. He denied running over the man's foot.

Police told the Palos Park man that he can't put his foot behind someone's tire because someone commits a parking violation and advised him to allow police to intervene in the future. The man initially left Walgreens but later came to the Orland Park Police Department to press charges and request medical attention for his foot. That's when both he and the driver received their citations.

Orland Park paramedics were unable to find visible signs of injury to his foot, according to the report.

The Palos Park man is due on July 9 at the Orland Park Civic Center for his citation. 

Police report information is provided by law enforcement agencies, including the Orland Park Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.