
Two women were shot in a drive-by shooting in Beach Park early Sunday morning, leading to multiple police pursuits in Lake County that resulted in officers arresting two people.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2 a.m. Sunday to the area of Green Bay Road and Bonnie Brook Lane in Beach Park following a report of a vehicle crash and a shooting.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies arrived and located a vehicle in a ditch with extensive damage.
Two adult female passengers in the vehicle had sustained gunshot wounds. One was shot in the eye and the other was shot in the leg.
A responding deputy applied a tourniquet to the woman’s leg, helping save her life, Covelli said.
Both women were transported to area hospitals and are expected to survive.
A preliminary investigation revealed the victims had left a bar in North Chicago and were driving home on Green Bay Road when a grey Dodge pulled up alongside their vehicle, Covelli said.
Occupants of the Dodge then opened fire on the victims’ vehicle. Deputies later recovered several spent shell casings in the area.
Lake County sheriff dispatchers issued a regional broadcast with information about the suspect vehicle.
A Waukegan police officer approximately 30 minutes later spotted a grey Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat matching the description of the suspect vehicle, Covelli said.
When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Sunset Avenue, the driver fled at a high rate of speed and evaded them.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy around 2:41 a.m. located the suspect vehicle traveling southbound on Route 41 near Route 173.
Covelli said the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver fled again at a high speed.
The deputy pursued the vehicle, which made a U-turn at Stearns School Road and traveled northbound on Route 41 at a high rate of speed.
The suspect ultimately evaded the deputy due to excessive speeds.
Another sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 173 and initiated a pursuit a short time later, Covelli said.
The driver again evaded the deputy at a high rate of speed.
A Zion police officer deployed a tire deflation device, successfully striking the vehicle as it continued eastbound on Route 173.
The driver temporarily maintained high speeds and again evaded officers before crashing into a heavily wooded area near Route 173 and Joanna Avenue in Zion, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s deputies, Zion police officers, and Waukegan police officers quickly established a perimeter as the occupants fled from the Dodge.
Police canines and drones were deployed to assist in the search.
Sheriff’s deputies and officers located and apprehended a juvenile male and an adult male in the area.
A rifle and pistol were recovered from the Dodge and an additional pistol was found in a backyard near where one of the offenders was captured, Covelli said.
It is believed the Dodge was stolen from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, however, additional investigation into that is ongoing.
Covelli said Lake County sheriff’s detectives are actively investigating the entire incident.
The incident has not yet been presented to the state’s attorney’s office for potential criminal charges.