Teen Carjackers Lead Cops On 120 MPH Chase To Indiana, Back: Cops

FOREST PARK, IL — Five boys have been arrested in connection with a carjacking and 42-mile high-speed chase that began Sunday night in Forest Park and extended to the Indiana Skyway. Two were apprehended after the initial chase, and three were arrested the next night when the stolen vehicle was used as attempted getaway car following an incident involving shots fired at officers, police said.

Even before a report of a carjacking came over the radio, a Forest Park police officer had already noticed two vehicles, a black Jeep and a maroon Nissan Murano, speeding east down Madison around 10:45 p.m., according to police. The officer followed them onto the eastbound Eisenhower for a short period of time but stopped the pursuit.

Soon after, dispatch sent out a report of a carjacking that had taken place in a parking lot of the Forest View Laundomat, 7656 W. Madison St. According to police, the driver of the Murano was hit in the head with a handgun but still managed to provide accurate information to 9-1-1 operators.

After hearing the report, the Forest Park officer realized the two fleeing vehicles were the car stolen from Forest Park and the accomplices to the carjackers. Police re-engaged and managed to catch up to both vehicles on I-290, before both vehicles fled south on the Dan Ryan and Skyway. The chase extended to the Indiana border, turned around and returned, police said.

At the time, the Murano evaded capture, but officers from Forest Park, the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police were able to arrest the driver and passenger of the Jeep when it ran out of gas and stopped on its own on the Stoney Island exit ramp, according to Forest Park police. Police said it was found to have been stolen in another carjacking in Chicago earlier Sunday.

A 15-year-old and 16-year-old were arrested at the scene and returned to Forest Park for an investigation, police said. The driver was charged with aggrevated fleeing to elude, the passenger was not charged.

The Jeep had been riddled with bullet holes, police said. Shots appeared to have been fired out of and into the SUV through its front passenger window. Police believe that damage was not related to the Forest Park incident.

Although the maroon Murano managed to get away from the cops Sunday night, police said they encountered the same vehicle a day later. And this time, its occupants ended up under arrest.

The investigation into the Forest Park carjacking determined the same vehicle had been used as a getaway car in another incident late Monday night where shots were fired at Chicago police officers in Lawndale, police said.

MORE: 12-Year-Old Boy, 2 Teens Charged After Firing On Chicago Cops: Police

Three boys, one aged 12 and two 17-year-olds, fled the scene of the shooting in the stolen Nissan before being taken into custody on Pulaski Road near the Stevenson. The juveniles face numerous charges including attempted murder, according to Forest Park police.

Top photo via Patch file