A police flyer shows a male suspect, who is armed and wanted in connection with a stolen vehicle and crash in Grayslake. | Photo Submitted to Lake and McHenry County Scanner

Lockdowns at schools in the Round Lake Beach and Grayslake area were lifted Monday afternoon after police said an armed suspect wanted in a manhunt had fled the area in a vehicle.

The incident started in Grayslake around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

The suspect’s vehicle, a white Lexus RX 350 SUV, which was possibly stolen, crashed into a tree in the 1400 block of Churchhill Lane in Grayslake.

The Grayslake-Hainesville Police Department began searching for the suspect.

Officers were seen using a drone to search the area of the Renwood Golf Course.

Village officials sent a text message and email to area residents warning them to stay inside and lock their doors.

Police search for a suspect who fled after crashing a car into a tree in the 1400 block of Churchhill Lane in Grayslake Sunday evening. | Photo: Willie Gillespie (@wgweather)

The message asked residents to report suspicious activity by calling 911. A phone call was also made to residents saying that the suspect was “armed and dangerous.”

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Officers searched the area extensively for several hours into the night but were unable to locate the suspect.

Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46 sent an email Monday morning to parents about the situation.

The school district said they consulted with law enforcement and as a result would be open Monday as scheduled despite the suspect not being in custody.

Schools would increase the presence of staff at entrances, welcome students into the school immediately upon their arrival and have indoor recess and PE, according to the letter.

The district, which initially said the suspect was wanted for an armed robbery, sent a follow-up letter saying that the suspect was not wanted for an armed robbery as previously believed.

Police officers and a canine unit conduct a search Monday for a wanted suspect in Grayslake. | Photo: Kirk Humphreys

The district said in its follow-up letter that police had called for a soft lockdown around 10 a.m. Monday at Meadowview School and Avon Center School.

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Police resumed their search for the wanted suspect after someone reportedly spotted him.

Grayslake District 127 schools were also on soft lockdown, officials said. “No one will be allowed in or out of the building until the soft lockdown is lifted.”

Authorities said around 1 p.m. Monday that the police activity in the area of the English Meadows neighborhood had ended.

The school lockdowns had also been lifted at the time. Police said the suspect, who was not in custody, was determined to have left the area.

A source told Lake and McHenry County Scanner the suspect stole a white van nearby in Round Lake Beach.

Grayslake village officials said the suspect is a male black, 5-foot-9, 250 pounds and in his mid-40s. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

The Gurnee Police Department responds to an armed robbery at the Portillo’s, 6102 Grand Avenue in Gurnee, around 12:30 p.m. Monday. | Photo: Joe Shuman/J. Shuman Photography (2022)

Information obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner showed that charges are pending against the suspect, who is in his 40s.

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He had been convicted of a felony in a domestic battery case earlier this year in Grayslake.

Shortly after the van was stolen, an armed robbery was reported at the Portillo’s restaurant in Gurnee around 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Cash was stolen from the restaurant and the suspect displayed a handgun during the robbery.

It was believed to have been committed by the same man who police were searching for in Grayslake.

The Grayslake Police Department has released few details in the case as of Monday afternoon.