Officers arrested a man who allegedly fled from a stolen Dodge Challenger after police pursued the car in Chicago and a police helicopter followed it to Gurnee Tuesday evening.
Tarion K. Fullilove, 18, of the 8900 block of South Crandon Avenue in Chicago, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a controlled substance and driving on a revoked license.
A Dodge Challenger was reported stolen from its owner on Friday, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Caitlin Valiulis said in bond court Wednesday.
The vehicle was stolen in Lake Bluff and wanted for hitting a police squad car in the Barrington area, according to police radio traffic.
Officers reported over their radios that they spotted the Dodge traveling on the Dan Ryan Expressway around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and chased after the vehicle.
The officers eventually stopped pursuing the car and a federal law enforcement helicopter followed the vehicle as it continued traveling northbound on Interstate 94 out of Chicago into Lake County.
The Dodge got off Interstate 94 onto Route 41 in Highland Park and traveled for approximately an hour before coming to a stop.
The driver, now identified as Fullilove, fled from the car into an apartment building in the 4200 block of Coral Berry Path in Gurnee around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, Valiulis said and police radio traffic reported.
Officers converged on the area and located Fullilove as he was trying to get into the building.
Officers arrested Fullilove and found him in possession of more than 80 pills of lorazepam in a prescription bottle that belonged to a woman.
Valiulis said Fullilove had the keys to two other cars and a credit card with someone else’s name at the time of his arrest.
The owner of the stolen car does not know Fullilove and never gave him permission to use the car, Valiulis said.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Fullilove held on a $350,000 bond.
Potkonjak said during the bond hearing that he would not go into the 18-year-old’s juvenile record but said, “Let’s just say it’s… full.”
Court records show Fullilove pleaded guilty last month to possessing a stolen motor vehicle out of Waukegan.
He was sentenced to 24 months of probation and received 90 days of credit for time served in jail. He was also sentenced to 100 hours of public service.
Fullilove remains held in the Lake County Jail and would need to post $35,000 cash in order to be released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 6.