A 37-year-old DuQuion man is being held in lieu of a $150,000 bond in the Clinton County Jail on a Class X felony charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a Wamac Police Officer.
Wamac Police Chief Steve Prather says Ian Merideth allegedly fired the gun while a Wamac officer was pursuing him for arrest on an outstanding warrant. The officer was not hit and Merideth was eventually taken into custody after dropping the gun and a knife he also possessed.
Prather says Merideth was advised by the officer who first spotted him in the 300 block of West 16th Street that he was wanted on an arrest warrant and to drop the backpacks he was carrying. Merideth complied with placing the backpacks on the ground. However, he then started backing away from the officer and told him he was armed with a firearm.
Prather says the officer immediately drew his firearm as Merideth began to flee on foot as the officer gave chase. After running through some yards in the 300 block of West 16th, Merideth fled north and then turned towards the pursuing officer and began firing his weapon. The officer briefly lost sight of Meredith. He was advised by witnesses that Merideth was hiding in some brush a couple of houses down from the officer’s location. As the officer approached, Merideth stepped out of the brush still holding a firearm, and was immediately told to drop the weapon. Meredith eventually did so. He then tried to pick the gun back up, but failed to do so and took off running towards an alley.
Merideth then produced a knife from his pocket and was wielding it towards the officer as the foot pursuit continued. He then changed directions as he saw an approaching Centralia Lieutenant and attempted to jump into a carport and lost his balance causing him to drop the knife.
The Centralia Lieutenant and Wamac Officer, with assistance from a Secretary of State officer, was then able to take Merideth into custody. He was immediately taken to the Clinton County Jail.
During the incident, a vehicle in the vicinity was found to have been struck and had two bullet holes in the windshield.
During his first appearance in Clinton County Court on Monday, Meredith had the public defender appointed to represent him. If he is able to post bond, he will not be allowed to carry a gun.
Prather commended all the agencies involved for their rapid assistance in dealing with the dangerous situation. He noted with the amount of people out and around the neighborhood, they are very fortunate that nobody was injured during the incident since numerous children were in the area. Prather says he was very proud of how his officer handled the situation and all of those assisting.
