Two Waukegan police detectives were uninjured after gang members, including a juvenile, fired multiple shots at them and fled the scene in North Chicago.
The Waukegan Police Department was conducting a proactive sweep detail for violent offenders around 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Officers tried to pull over a vehicle occupied by suspected gang members, according to Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain.
The vehicle, a gray 2016 Kia Soul, fled from Waukegan police officers.
Two detectives spotted the Kia a short time later and followed it into the east alley in the 1000 block of Wadsworth Avenue in North Chicago.
As the officers pulled into the alley, the occupants got out of the car and fired five shots in the direction of the detectives, Chastain said.
The gunfire struck a nearby vehicle and a garage but the officers were uninjured. The suspects fled on foot.
Five spent shell casings were recovered in the alley and a firearm was also recovered.
The firearm matched the caliber of the casings recovered, Chastain said.
One of the suspects, a juvenile from Waukegan, was wanted on a previous weapons case and was arrested by officers.
The others, suspected gang members, successfully fled from the police.
Investigators learned the suspects knew the two detectives were police officers before they shot at them, Chastain said.
The juvenile, who was one of the suspects who fired shots, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer, a class X felony, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon without a concealed carry permit.
The investigation is ongoing and no other suspects are in custody.
The Waukegan Police Department said they are asking anyone with information to call the department’s tip line at 847-360-9001 or by texting 847411 using the keyword WPDTIP before the message.
The police department also has an anonymous tip app on iPhone and Android devices.