Newly released video shows a high-speed pursuit of an escaped prisoner who carjacked two motorists near Deerfield and fled to Wisconsin where he was arrested after OnStar disabled his car.
Two Park Ridge police officers were transporting a male prisoner to the Lake County Jail around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The man was wanted on a Lake County warrant.
Officers noticed the offender “acting erratically” in the back seat while en route to the jail, according to Park Ridge Police Department Executive Officer Tom Gadomski.
The officers also noticed the offender, who was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, had slipped the handcuffs in front of him.
The officers pulled their squad car over on the shoulder of northbound Interstate 294 near Lake Cook Road in Deerfield.
The officers advised dispatch of their location and requested assistance from Illinois State Police due to the offender’s behavior.
Gadomski said the officers were attempting to re-secure the offender and de-escalate his behavior when he broke free.
Officers used a taser on the offender but it was ineffective.
The offender ran across the northbound lanes of traffic, jumped over the concrete barrier and continued to run into the southbound lanes.
The offender approached a maroon-colored Ford van that had stopped in the southbound lanes of Interstate 294. The suspect physically attacked someone and stole the car.
The offender drove off in the Ford van and fled from the Park Ridge officers.
Gadomski said the offender was in the area of Lake Cook Road and Caribou Crossing in Northbrook around 3:20 p.m.
He exited the Ford van and proceeded to commit a second carjacking where he took a white Chevrolet Camaro by physical force from its owner.
Police were able to locate the Chevrolet through the vehicle’s OnStar locator service, Gadomski said.
The vehicle was tracked to Wisconsin and the Pleasant Prairie Police Department and Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office located it.
“Through excellent communication and coordination we were able to intercept him as he entered our state,” the Pleasant Prairie Police Department said.
An approximately four-minute high-speed pursuit ensued and was captured on police dash camera that was released Tuesday.
The stolen vehicle drove into the opposite lanes of traffic to avoid spike strips during the chase.
Police worked with OnStar to slow down and eventually disable the vehicle as it traveled onto Interstate 94 from 104th Street.
The suspect was taken into custody after being ordered out of the car at gunpoint.
Police officials have not yet released the man’s identity or said whether charges have been filed against him.