A Potomac man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly fired multiple shots at police officers in Urbana Sunday night and then led officers on a chase that extended into Vermilion County.
Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman says 34-year-old John Bennett was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped along Cunningham Avenue in Urbana around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. After a K-9 dog alerted officers to something in the vehicle, the female driver fled the scene while Bennett fired eight shots at officers.
The driver continued eastbound on Interstate 74 before exiting onto Route 49. The vehicle became disabled at an intersection two miles west of Collison.
Heuerman says deputies spoke with Bennett for about three hours before he eventually tossed his weapon out of the vehicle and was then arrested. He was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana for a mental health evaluation and then transferred to the Champaign County Jail.
Bennett has been charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, forcible detention and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. His bond has been set at $2 million.
