Prairie State Wire

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Oak Brook Chief of Police Brian Strockis announced that a Chicago juvenile accused of leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car will be detained until at least his next court appearance. The juvenile, a sixteen-year-old male, appeared at a detention hearing yesterday morning in front of Judge Demetrios Panoushis. The juvenile is charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle (Class 2 Felony) and one count of Misdemeanor Reckless Driving.       

On March 17, 2023, at approximately 6:16 p.m., officers located a car¸ a Hyundai Elantra, that was reported stolen out of Bellwood the previous day. It is alleged that officers pursued the Elantra, allegedly driven by the juvenile, and that during the pursuit, the juvenile led officers from multiple jurisdictions on a high-speed chase onto I-290 into Cook County, at which time a helicopter began following the Elantra. It is further alleged that during the pursuit, the juvenile drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic and disobeyed control devices. Officers were able to stop the car at which time the juvenile allegedly fled on foot. The juvenile was taken into custody at this time following a brief foot pursuit.            

“The increasing trend of suspects fleeing from police is extremely dangerous and must stop,” Berlin said. “In DuPage County, we will use every tool at our disposal to catch those who flee, including a helicopter, as in this case. The allegations that this juvenile led authorities on a high-speed chase during rush hour are very serious as he put not only himself at risk, but also put the police officers involved and countless other motorists at great risk. Thankfully, no innocent motorists or bystanders were injured or worse as a result of this juvenile’s alleged behavior. I thank the Oak Brook Police Department for their work on this case as well as the Lombard, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Chicago, North Riverside, Hillside and Broadview Police Departments for their assistance. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Jaclyn McAndrew and Kevin Laude for their efforts on this case."

“The reality is that we are seeing so many suspects flee from the police and we won’t accept that behavior in Oak Brook,” Strockis said. “We have undercover, proactive police officers patrolling daily to keep our community safe. This case was a perfect example of utilizing technology, collaboration of multiple police agencies and air support to get the suspect in custody. I’d like to thank the multiple police agencies who assisted as well as DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his office for their guidance on this case.”   

The juvenile’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 24, 2023, in front of Judge Panoushis.

Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  

Original source can be found here.