In the early hours of Sunday morning, two women were shot and sustained injuries while driving in north suburban Lake County. This incident prompted the authorities to initiate multiple police chases in pursuit of the suspected shooters.
Around 2 a.m., reports of a car crash and shooting led Lake County Sheriff’s deputies to Green Bay Road and Bonnie Brook Lane in Beach Park. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a car in a ditch with significant damage. Inside the vehicle were two women who had been shot.
A deputy shot one woman in the eye and another in the leg. A deputy placed a tourniquet around the woman’s leg. We brought both women to a local hospital, where they are likely to survive.
Investigators discovered that the victims had left a club in North Chicago and were heading home on Green Bay Road when a gray Dodge drove up beside them. The occupants of the Dodge opened fire on the victims’ automobile. The scene revealed several bullet casings.
Search for gunmen
After receiving a regional broadcast about the suspect car, deputies promptly disseminated the information. Within approximately 30 minutes, a vigilant Waukegan police officer spotted a gray Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat that closely resembled the description of the suspect vehicle.
The police officers attempted to halt the car on Sunset Avenue, but the driver accelerated and managed to escape from the pursuing officers.
At approximately 2:41 a.m., a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the suspect vehicle heading southbound on Route 41 near Route 173. Despite the deputy’s attempts to halt the car, the driver once again accelerated and fled.
The deputy gave chase to the car, which swiftly executed a U-turn on Sterns School Road and proceeded northbound on Route 41. Once again, the suspect vehicle managed to elude the pursuing police officers as it accelerated away.
Shortly after, the driver managed to escape from another sheriff’s deputy while on Route 173.
A Zion police officer successfully employed a tire deflation device, causing the suspect car to collide with it. However, even after the collision, the suspect car managed to elude the pursuing police before eventually crashing into a densely wooded area near Route 173 and Joana Avenue in Zion.
The suspect car was located by the police, leading to the arrest of two individuals, a man and a boy, in the vicinity. Upon searching the Dodge, law enforcement discovered a rifle and a pistol, while another pistol was found in a nearby backyard where one of the suspects was apprehended.
The police suspect that the Dodge vehicle was stolen from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. However, they are currently conducting an ongoing investigation into this matter.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. As of Sunday morning, the police had not yet presented any charges to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.