A juvenile suspect stole a running car, which had two young children in it, and then later abandoned the kids before crashing the stolen car into a police car in Zion Sunday evening.
The Zion Police Department responded around 9 p.m. Sunday to a call of a vehicle theft at Murphy USA gas station, 4010 Route 173 in Zion.
Officers learned that two kids, a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old, were inside a running vehicle that had the keys in it.
A suspect stole the car from the gas station. The offender abandoned the children at the Marathon gas station, 1701 Kenosha Road in Zion.
The kids were safely recovered minutes later, police said.
Officers and detectives were actively investigating the incident when they located the stolen vehicle around 9:50 p.m. in the 2900 block of 24th Street.
Police said the lone 15-year-old male suspect used the stolen vehicle to strike an unmarked Zion Police Department detective’s vehicle.
The police squad sustained significant damage.
Officers and detectives were able to remove the 15-year-old from the stolen vehicle and arrest him.
No one was injured as a result of the juvenile’s actions, police said.
The juvenile was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated assault, child endangerment, resisting a peace officer and reckless driving.
Officers transported the juvenile to the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Center in Vernon Hills.