Trucker accused of hitting picketer not cited for incident

A truck driver accused of hitting a picketer on Monday was not cited for the incident after police investigation. 

The incident occurred on Monday, August 10th at about 12:10 p.m. outside of the IKEA Distribution Center, 650 Emerald Drive in Joliet, Illinois. 

According to Patch Joliet, More than 100 employees were picketing on strike for better wages and working conditions when a semi truck drove up to the property. At that point, the man appeared to be hit by the semi truck, prompting witnesses to contact police. 

When police arrived, they spoke to the 41-year-old picketer, who was being treated by paramedics; and to the 39-year-old truck driver. The picketer reported that he had been struck by the semi truck while protesting. The truck driver then told police that the man had stepped in front of his rig before falling down on the ground. 

“As part of the investigation, officers reviewed surveillance video of the incident,” said Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English. 

The picketer was treated for minor injuries. No citation was issued for the incident. No further information has been released.