Police are searching for a 13-year-old student who is on the run and considered armed and dangerous after he stole a car from the parking lot of a middle school in Lake Villa.
The Lake Villa Police Department responded around 8:15 a.m. Friday to Palombi Middle School, 133 McKinley Avenue in Lake Villa, for a stolen vehicle report.
Lake Villa Police Department Lieutenant James DeCaro told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that it was determined a 13-year-old male student gained access to a staff member’s car keys.
The student stole the staff member’s vehicle from the school’s parking lot.
An alert was broadcasted on the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network to area law enforcement agencies about the theft.
DeCaro said the boy was later reported and entered as a missing runaway juvenile.
The stolen vehicle was described as a gray 2019 Kia Sorento SUV with an Illinois license plate of BM63486.
The juvenile is a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) ward of the state, DeCaro said.
He is believed to have driven to the Rockford area, which is where he is originally from.
DeCaro said a follow-up investigation determined that the juvenile may have accessed a firearm while on the run.
Law enforcement and DCFS authorities in the Rockford area were notified of the incident and have been actively attempting to locate the juvenile.
“Based on the information learned, the juvenile should be considered armed and dangerous,” DeCaro said.
The incident remains under investigation and the boy’s name is not being released by police due to his age.