Suspects Forced Their Way In Through Garage, Tied Woman Up In Lemont Home Invasion: Police

LEMONT, IL — A 65-year-old woman was bound and robbed by two suspects during a home invasion in Lemont on Thursday, Lemont Police said in a news release on Friday. Three suspects were later taken into custody after a pursuit ended in unincorporated Will County, police said, and believed to also be linked to a similar home invasion a day earlier in Homer Glen.

Lemont Police said officers responded to a home invasion at 3 p.m. Wednesday on Covington Drive.

The victim was unloading boxes from her vehicle in the driveway to her garage, when a black Acura pulled in front of her house and parked, police said. The car had been reported stolen out of Chicago.

Two men, masked and armed with handguns, entered the garage and forced the victim inside the home, according to police. The victim was bound and robbed of her ATM card and PIN, as well as other items.

The two men fled in the stolen car. There was also a third male suspect inside the car, police said.

The woman's card was used to make a withdrawal of cash was made at an area bank, Lemont Police said. Through the use of license plate readers, the vehicle and the suspects were found in Joliet a short time later. The Joliet Police Department and the Will County Sheriff's Office began a pursuit, which ended in the three suspects crashing and attempting to flee on foot.

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.

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

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.

The vehicle and suspects also match the description of a similar home invasion that happened in Homer Glen on Wednesday, Lemont Police said. A 73-year-old woman had returned from grocery shopping and had pulled into her garage when she was confronted by a man with a gun and forced into the home, where he and another suspect bound her wrists and ankles before removing a credit card from her purse, police said. The suspects allegedly threatened the woman's life, demanding her PIN, before fleeing and using her card to withdraw $2,000 from her account, authorities said.

Charges are pending as the investigation into the home invasions continues. No charges, names or mug shots had been released as of late Friday morning.

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."