Police arrested three men who were found armed with guns after they allegedly ran from a stolen vehicle when it caught on fire in Wadsworth Friday evening.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Township Fire Protection District responded around 11:45 p.m. Friday to the 42400 block of North Route 41 in Wadsworth for a vehicle fire.
Lake County Sheriff’s 911 Emergency Telecommunicators gathered information from a witness who reported seeing three people run from the vehicle, which was stolen, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The group reportedly ran into the woods near a truck stop in the area.
Dispatchers relayed the description of the suspects to responding sheriff’s deputies.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and began searching the area, Covelli said.
A deputy saw three individuals, matching the description of the suspects, quickly get into an SUV that arrived near the scene.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the SUV was being used as a rideshare and they conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.
Covelli said deputies determined the three subjects were armed with loaded firearms. They are not legally allowed to possess the weapons.
The three, identified as Marcus Smith, 19, of Zion, Trashaun King, 18, of Round Lake, and Barion Mhoon, 18, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, were all arrested.
The stolen vehicle the three were seen fleeing from was stolen from North Chicago, Covelli said. It is unclear yet how the vehicle started on fire.
The Illinois State Police are investigating the vehicle fire, which occurred on an onramp to Interstate 94, and the North Chicago Police Department is investigating the vehicle theft.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the incident and approved four counts of aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm for each of the three suspects.
The state’s attorney’s office filed petitions to detain the suspects while they await trial.
All three appeared in First Appearance Court on Saturday and Lake County Judge Randie Bruno ordered them held pending detention hearings which are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.