Home Invasion Suspects Crash Car During Police Chase: Will County Sheriff

LEMONT, IL — Three suspects were in custody in a pair of armed home invasions Thursday night, after police say they fled a traffic stop, kicking off a "multi-agency" pursuit before crashing the vehicle in Joliet.

The Will County Sheriff's Office believe the trio is linked to a home invasion in Homer Glen on Wednesday, in which a 73-year-old woman was held at gunpoint and tied to a chair, and a second home invasion on Thursday in Lemont.

According to Lemont police, at 2:56 p.m. Thursday, three armed suspects forced their way into and "occupied the residence" in the 1200 block of Covington Drive. Police said the victim in the Lemont home invasion was not harmed.

The Will County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle involved in the Lemont home invasion was described as a black Acura occupied by two or three people, matching the descriptions of the vehicle and people involved in a home invasion a day earlier in Homer Glen.

Will County detectives, "along with multiple law enforcement partners," began searching for the Acura and reviewing license plate reader data, police said. A short time later, Joliet patrol officers found the vehicle on McDonough Street, but when officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver fled, according to the sheriff's office, "prompting a coordinated multi-agency pursuit."

The Acura ultimately crashed at Route 52 and Rowell Avenue in unincorporated Will County, and police said three suspects fled on foot as officers set up a perimeter and began a search.

All three were found and taken into custody, according to a news release, and two guns that had been thrown by the suspects were recovered with the assistance of a Joliet Police Department K9 unit.

Police said "all three suspects have extensive criminal histories, including prior weapons-related offenses" and are from the City of Chicago. One suspect is a juvenile. Two were taken to the Will County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Complex for questioning, while the third was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.

Charges against the trio are pending.

"The Will County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Joliet Police Department and all assisting agencies for their outstanding teamwork in apprehending these dangerous, out-of-town offenders," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Woman Tied Up In Homer Glen Home Invasion

According to the sheriff's office, just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, a woman was tied up and held at gunpoint on South Deer Path in Homer Glen. In that incident, police said the woman was returning from grocery shopping when she pulled into her garage, where she was confronted by a man brandishing a handgun. In that case, the sheriff's office said a second man got out of a dark-colored Acura and the two men forced the 73-year-old into her home, where they bound her to a chair and removed a credit card from her purse, demanding her PIN before fleeing and withdrawing $2,000 from her account.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said she had spoken with Lemont Mayor John Egofske and that a "similar situation" had taken place in Lemont on Thursday. "Please be aware of your surroundings," she wrote.

Lemont police urged residents to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings during the holiday season, and to "ensure you close and lock your windows and doors when not in use, and close your overhead garage door when entering and exiting your residence."