County Police Chase Theft Suspects To Chicago
A group of felony theft suspects is in custody after leading Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officers on a high-speed chase from northwest Indiana into Chicago this afternoon, according to Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.
Just after 2 p.m., Hobart police released an alert describing a car that was allegedly involved in the theft of multiple items including computers and clothing from a retail area. A Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officer observed a car matching the description near 25th & Colfax in unincorporated Gary.
A pursuit was initiated and the car continued to flee onto Cline Avenue, the Indiana Toll Road and eventually onto the Illinois Skyway and Dan Ryan. A Lake County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit helicopter assisted with tracking the suspect vehicle. During the pursuit, suspects could be seen throwing items out of the car as they fled, Martinez said.
The fleeing driver also struck a Lake County Police patrol vehicle during the pursuit.
Near Chinatown, officers performed a precision immobilization technique to try to stop the vehicle safely. The suspects exited the car and the Lake County K-9 Unit was deployed.
Two males and a female were taken into police custody then transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation. No one involved suffered life-threatening injuries.
Illinois State Police are assisting with the investigation.
The suspects will be held in custody in Illinois pending extradition to Indiana. All three had active warrants out of Illinois.
“A big thank you to all agencies that responded to this incident. Because of their professionalism, teamwork and quick response the suspects were taken into custody safely; limiting danger to the public.”
