A Wadsworth man has been ordered detained in Lake County jail after firing a gun, fleeing police at high speeds, then hitting a fire hydrant in Waukegan, authorities said.
Jayden Coleman, 22, is facing class 4 felony charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of aggravated fleeing police following a high-speed chase with Waukegan Police at 3 a.m. Sunday, June 9.
In addition, Coleman is facing a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a peace officer following an incident that began when a Waukegan Detective sitting in his undercover police vehicle heard gunshots come from three vehicles parked near the area of McAree and Ridgeland roads in Waukegan, Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said in Lake County Detention Court Monday afternoon.
The detective approached the group after hearing the gunshots and saw a person later identified as Coleman sitting behind the wheel of an SUV with what initially appeared to be a hoodie obscuring his face, McConnell said.
The detective activated his lights and siren, prompting Coleman to take off on McAree Road in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, McConnell said.
The vehicles reached speeds of 80 mph in a 30 mph zone as Coleman ignored a stop light and stop sign, McConnell said.
The chase ended when Coleman’s SUV hit a fire hydrant and caught fire, McConnell said. However, McConnell said Coleman jumped out of his car and tried to run away on foot.
A second officer arrived at the scene and helped chase down Coleman, McConnell said.
However, during the foot chase, Coleman allegedly threw something out of the waistband of his pants and officers heard a loud thump hit the ground.
Coleman was eventually chased down and taken into custody at which time police discovered Coleman was wearing a ski mask to cover his face, McConnell said.
Officers retraced their steps during the foot chase and found Coleman threw a fully loaded handgun on the ground, McConnell said.
Officers processing the crime scenes discovered a shell casing near McAree Road that matched the ammunition loaded into the handgun recovered, McConnell said in court.
In addition, Coleman was free from Lake County jail on pretrial release because of a misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property in 2024, McConnell said.
Coleman’s Firearm Owner Identification Card was revoked earlier this year after an ex-girlfriend filed an order of protection against him, McConnell said.
In that case, McConnell said Coleman waited for her for hours outside the job of the ex-girlfriend, then forced himself into her car, and started lighting tissue paper on fire while the two were sitting inside the vehicle.
“When someone behaves in a manner that is risky and reckless such as lighting things on fire in a closed car that also has gasoline that is extremely combustible, it poses a risk for himself and others in that vehicle,” McConnell said.
Lake County Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Coleman detained in Lake County jail until his trial.
“He probably should’ve been in Wadsworth tucked into his bed instead of at the corner of Ridgeland and McAree shooting a gun,” Potkonjak said.
Coleman is due back in court on July 9.