Driver Arrested After Stolen Vehicle Pursuit

Posted on 05/12/2021

Early this morning, at 2:21 a.m., a Pleasant Prairie Police Officer monitoring traffic in the 4900 block of 75th Street observed a Toyota sedan pass his location. The officer was operating a squad equipped with an Automated License Plate Reader, which identified the vehicle as stolen from the City of Chicago. The officer followed the Toyota east on 75th Street and verified the vehicle's stolen status.

The officer attempted to stop the stolen Toyota, and the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed, reaching an estimated 70 miles per hour through Kenosha side streets. The stolen vehicle continued to drive recklessly through a parking lot, a field, and back onto 67th Street. The Pleasant Prairie officer maintained the pursuit. The sedan nearly hit two parked vehicles on 33rd Avenue, drove through a second field, and continued northbound on 39th Avenue.  

The vehicle operator attempted to take a high-speed turn onto 55th Street and lost control, striking a house in the 5400 block of 39th Avenue. The home received moderate damage, and the stolen vehicle acquired extensive damage. The operator initially fled from the scene, but Kenosha Police officers quickly apprehended the 55-year-old North Chicago resident. The driver was arrested on Fleeing and Eluding an Officer, Second Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, and Operating a Vehicle without Owner's Consent.

The house occupants were not injured; however, two passengers in the stolen vehicle, a 58-year-old Waukegan woman and a 48-year-old Kenosha man, both had injuries and were transported to an area hospital. Following treatment, the passengers were released without charges.