DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A man is accused of trying to choke a woman outside of a bar.
Police say they saw 26-year-old Akeem Rivers on top of the woman after midnight Thursday in the parking lot of Port Royal Gastropub (2880 N. Oakland Ave.) in Decatur. They say witnesses reported watching Rivers hit and choke her. The woman told officers the suspect was blocking her breathing.
A bartender reported seeing the woman’s face turning blue.
A sworn statement says police saw cuts and bruises on the woman’s face and neck, along with a front tooth lying on the pavement outside of the bar.
Officers say Rivers ignored an order from police to stop, then stepped into a car and crashed it into a police car. Police say they used a taser on Rivers.
Rivers is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI and resisting arrest. He is bond is set at $50,000 in Macon County.
Police say Rivers has two convictions on his record for assault.
