Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested After New Lenox Car Crash: (UPDATE)

Thursday 4:45 p.m.

Further details are not expected until tomorrow in the case of the Tinley Park armed robbery at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday at the T-Mobile store, Harlem Avenue and 162nd Street, said Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubaurer. 

The investigation is continuing in the case of three suspects who were arrested shortly after 8 p.m. in New Lenox after their getaway car crashed in a ditch on Route 6 just east of Cedar Road. 

Thursday 10:50 a.m.

Details of the Tinley Park armed robbery that spilled over into New Lenox last night continue to unfold. Three armed robbery suspects were arrested in New Lenox after their getaway car crashed in a ditch around 8 p.m. along Route 6 just east of Cedar Road.

Six police departments out of the southwest suburban area—Tinley Park, New Lenox, Mokena, Manhattan, Will County Sheriff's police and Illinois State Police District 5—were involved in the search, said New Lenox Deputy Police Chief Bob Pawlisz. The departments coordinated the search and blocked or diverted traffic at various points along Cedar Road and Route 6, including a traffic block at Parker Road and Route 6 and another at Cedar and Chicago-Bloomington Roads.   

At 7:44 p.m., NLPD was alerted about the robbery and got information on the getaway car, described as a white Buick. Within 20 or 25 minutes after the call from Tinley Park, NLPD received a call about a one-car crash on Route 6 just east of Cedar Road. It turned out to be the getaway car, said Pawlisz.

NLPD "immediately notified Silver Cross Hospital," said Pawlisz. The hospital made the decision to go on lock down.

The Lincoln-Way Communications Center was directed to issue a Reverse 911 alert, which sends out an alert on all phone lines about a dangerous situation. "It takes time to set it up," said Pawlisz. "They have to record the message…

"I don't think anybody got the message," because the suspects were captured so quickly, he added. NLPD and an ISP K-9 unit managed to sniff out the suspects, who hadn't gotten far. They were caught about four houses away from the scene of the crash, said Pawlisz.

Tinley Park police took the three into custody, and the investigation is continuing, said TPPD Chief Steve Neubauer. Further details of the armed robbery, which took place at 7:10 p.m. at the T-Mobile store, at Harlem Avenue and 162nd Street, are expected later. The suspects' identities have not yet been released.     

Thursday 9:45 a.m., Jan. 3

Tinley Park Police Chief Steven Neubauer said charges are pending against three men arrested last night in connection with an armed robbery at 7:10 p.m. at the T-Mobile store, at Harlem Avenue and 162nd Street.

No shots were fired during the incident, he said. However, one person was injured as a result of the robbery. The injuries were minor, he noted.

The details of the armed robbery—the robbers identities, a description of the weapon, and what was stolen—have not yet been released. Neubauer said, "It's still under investigation."

What is certain is that the three will be charged for their involvement in a robbery that led to police chase beginning in Tinley Park and ending on Route 6 just east of Cedar Road in New Lenox.

Two employees were in the T-Mobile store when armed robbers entered. The chief said, "They got a description" of the robbers and the getaway car, a white Buick. Tinley Park police lost sight of the car, which turned up in New Lenox, after the getaway car crashed in a ditch near Silver Cross Hospital.

Consequently Silver Cross Hospital was put on temporary lock down, said New Lenox Deputy Police Chief Bob Pawlisz. NLPD along with an Illinois State Police K-9 unit found the abandoned getaway car after 8 p.m. "The dogs got the scent," and they found the suspects about four houses east of the crash site.

New Lenox police had blocked traffic for a few-mile stretch along Route 6, while the armed robbers were still at large. Because "a weapon was displayed," Pawlisz said NLPD had started the process of implementing a "reverse 911" practice, which means all telephone lines within the immediate region would receive an alert message. Because the three were taken into custody so fast, police never got to the point of implementing the reverse 911 alert.   

The suspects were taken into custody by Tinley Park police.

Wednesday 10:25 p.m.

Tinley Park police noted that the incident is still under investigation. No further details have been released.

Wednesday 9: 59 p.m.

Pawlisz said it's unclear which agency initiated the lock down at Silver Cross Hospital. However, because the arrestees were armed, New Lenox police were in the process of initiating a "reverse 911," which is a call to phone lines within the immediate region, alerting residents and businesses of danger. The arrests were made before any calls went out.

A reverse 911 is only implemented in cases of severe cases, he said.

Whether or not the weapons had been recovered was not yet available.

Original Story

Three armed robbery suspects fleeing the scene of a crime in Tinley Park  crashed their getaway car in New Lenox and fled on foot Wednesday night, police said. 

After the crime was committed about 8 p.m. Wednesday, New Lenox police responded to a call about a car accident on Route 6 just east of Cedar Road. The car was in a ditch and three men fled the scene, police said. 

New Lenox police, together with a K-9 unit from the Illinois State Police, located and arrested the three men before 9:15 p.m. about four houses down from the accident.

The crashed vehicle matched the description of a getaway car that Tinley Park police put out, New Lenox Deputy Police Chief Bob Pawlisz said. Because of the accident's proximity to Silver Cross Hospital, the hospital was put on temporary lock down. 

Pawlisz said no one was injured in the accident. He didn't have the names of the men who were arrested, but they are in the custody of Tinley Park police. Pawlisz didn't immediately know the location of the armed robbery in Tinley Park. 

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