Driver in Tinley Park Parking Lot Shot Fired Incident Arrested at Courthouse: Prosecutor

TINLEY PARK, IL -- The driver of a vehicle, who helped a convicted felon escape after he fired a shot into the air in downtown Tinley Park, was arrested Tuesday at the Fifth District Municipal District Courthouse in Bridgeview when he showed up for a hearing on another pending case, prosecutors said.

Ahmad Ismail, 22, of Tinley Park, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a felony charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding. A warrant had been issued for Ismail’s arrest for his alleged part in a shooting that took place in the early morning hours Nov. 12 in front of J.W. Hollstein’s in Tinley Park,

Tinley Park police had responded to a fight in progress in the bar's parking lot at 17358 Oak Park Ave. after it had closed. Ismail was sitting behind the wheel of a white Hyundai when his friend, 22-year-old Ramsey Shelby, retrieved a gun from the vehicle and fired it once in the air, the prosecutor said.

RELATED: Man Defied Orders to Drop Gun During Parking Lot Brawl: Cops

Shelby had allegedly defied police orders to drop the weapon and climbed into the Hyundai. The officer said he ordered the driver, later identified as Ismail, not to leave the parking lot. Instead, Ismail allegedly put the car into reverse and fled the parking lot, almost hitting several people in the process.

Tinley Park police called off the chase when the car reached speed of 88mph in a 35mph zone. A warrant was issued for Ismail’s arrest. Tinley Park police arrested Ismail on Nov. 22, outside the courtroom where he showed up for a previously scheduled hearing on a pending obstructing and resisting case.

Bail was set at $50,000. Ismail is due back in court Dec. 5 in Bridgeview.