Seven officers with the North Chicago Police Department were awarded on Monday for their efforts in the investigation and apprehension of the suspect accused in the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park. | Provided Photos

Five North Chicago police officers who chased down the Highland Park mass shooting suspect and successfully arrested him were awarded for their actions on Monday.

Officers Gary Grayer, Mike Mueller, Cory Collum, Chris Mueller and Matthew Decowski were presented with letters of commendation.

Two additional North Chicago officers, Thomas Kropp and Donald Florance, were recognized for their efforts in assisting the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the FBI with the investigation.

North Chicago Police Chief Lazaro Perez said the Grayer was the first officer to spot Robert Crimo’s 2010 Honda Fit as it traveled on Route 41 through North Chicago on July 4.

Dispatchers moments prior had advised officers to be on the lookout after a citizen called 911 to report they spotted the suspect vehicle.

Grayer, along with the Mueller brothers, Collum and Decowski, coordinated a high-risk traffic stop on the Honda with the assistance of other police agencies.

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They were able to stop the Honda at Route 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest.

Robert E. Crimo III, 21, (inset) was taken into custody by police officers at Route 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest following a police pursuit involving his mother’s silver Honda Fit on July 4, 2022. | Background Photo: Willie Gillespie (@wgweather)

Crimo, 21, of Highwood, was armed with a rifle and ammunition when police stopped his car.

The officers ordered Crimo out of the car at gunpoint and arrested him without incident.

“Without situational awareness, and the coordination of Officer Grayer, as well as the teamwork of officers Collum, Decowski, [Chris] Mueller and [Mike] Mueller, this incident may have escalated into another tragedy,” Perez said during a Monday city council meeting.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli previously said that Crimo pre-planned the Highland Park attack for several weeks.

Crimo allegedly brought a high-powered rifle to the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park.

Covelli said that Crimo used a fire escape ladder to access the roof of a building on the parade route.

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Crimo then allegedly opened fire on parade-goers, killing seven people and injuring over 45 people. Over 80 rounds were fired from the rifle.

Crimo, who was dressed as a woman, exited the roof, dropped the rifle and escaped with the fleeing crowd, according to Covelli.

He remains held in the Lake County Jail after Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered him held without bond.