15-Year-Old Arrested After Eluding Police, Crashing: Mokena PD

MOKENA, IL — A 15-year-old has been taken into custody after fleeing and eluding police in a stolen vehicle, according to Mokena Police. He was taken into custody at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday after he fled on foot when the vehicle he was in crashed on Cherry Street north of Birch Avenue, police said.

Joliet Police officers first responded to the 100 block of Beach Street at 1:52 a.m. Wednesday, after Bolingbrook Police requested they check the area for a vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier in the evening, Joliet Police said.

According to police, officers found the vehicle stopped on Beach Street and tried to make contact with the driver. The driver entered the vehicle and tried to drive away, which was when an officer suffered a minor injury while trying to remove the driver from the vehicle, police said.

Police said a car chase began, until the car drove onto eastbound Interstate 80, where the chase ended due to safety reasons. According to police, Joliet Police were notified a short time later that the same vehicle and driver were involved in a crash near the intersection of Birch Avenue and Cherry Street in Mokena and that the juvenile driver was taken into custody by Will County Sheriff's Office deputies.

Joliet officers went to the scene of the crash, and took custody of the juvenile and returned him to Joliet, police said. The juvenile was booked at the police department and taken to the River Valley Justice Center.

The Will County Sheriff's Office, and Mokena, Frankfort, Tinley Park, and Orland Park police departments provided support. According to a release from Mokena Police, a drone from Orland Park was also utilized as part of the search, as well as a K-9 unit from the Will County Sheriff's Office.