By HOI ABC
BLOOMINGTON – McLean County prosecutors have charged a man with attempting to take a Normal Police officer’s gun at a local hospital.
Kvon Tooles, 23, of Normal is the man accused of getting behind the wheel of a tour bus in Uptown Normal early Thursday and crashing it into a retention basin near the Meijer Express Gas Station on East College Avenue.
A prosecutor said in court that after Tooles’ capture, police took him to Carle BroMenn Medical Center. Tooles allegedly ran from the X-ray room, and a police officer tackled him.
The prosecutor said Tooles grabbed the officer’s gun with both hands and tried to remove it from the holster during a struggle. Both got up from the floor, and the officer used his taser, the prosecutor told the judge.
The officer suffered a cut to his hand, the prosecutor said.
The suspect’s legal troubles started about 6 a.m. Thursday outside the Hyatt Place Hotel. Tooles reportedly got into the Timi’s Tour Bus when the driver stepped out for a cup of coffee.
The driver returned and was on the bus when Tooles allegedly drove off. The prosecutor told the judge that Tooles drove faster than the speed limit through intersections and red lights.
Near the Meijer store, the bus went over a curb and became airborne, ending up in the retention basin.
The tour bus driver was hospitalized with a back injury, according to authorities.
The McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office filed three felony charges and three misdemeanors against Tooles. The prosecutor’s statement to the judge noted that Tooles is known to struggle with mental health issues.
The judge set bond at $200,000, meaning he has to come up with $20,000 to be released from jail.
