Tyree D. Smith, 27, of Waukegan.

Prosecutors say a victim spotted his own vehicle driving around in Waukegan after it had been stolen, which resulted in police pursuing the car and it nearly striking a squad car.

Tyree D. Smith, 27, of Waukegan, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing to elude and driving on a suspended license.

Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said a man called 911 on January 18 to report he saw a person driving his vehicle, which had been stolen three days prior, near Lewis Fresh Market in Waukegan.

Officers arrived and located the white Toyota Tacoma driving southbound on Lewis Avenue.

They attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle but the Toyota drove over the grass and sidewalk and nearly crashed into a squad car while fleeing at a high rate of speed, Katris said.

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The pursuit continued through a residential neighborhood at excessive speeds.

Officers discontinued the pursuit due to safety concerns but continued to follow the car, allegedly driven by Smith.

Katris said the Toyota sped through two stop signs at “incredibly high rates of speed.”

The suspect abandoned the vehicle at Little Fort Elementary School as multiple officers converged in the area.

Smith fled from the car and a brief foot pursuit ensued with officers arresting him, Katris said.

Smith told officers he knew they did not pull him over just because the car was stolen, Katris said.

“You was waiting for the right time to pull me over,” Smith said, adding that he knew they pulled him over for a reason and not because the car was stolen.

Officers did not understand what Smith was referring to because they had in fact attempted to stop him because the car was stolen, Katris said.

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Officers later learned that Smith had an active arrest warrant for failing to appear in court and he had absconded from electronic home monitoring that he was on in a retail theft case.

Katris said Smith had been placed on electronic home monitoring on October 30 and the next day he left his home without authorization, continuing to do so in the proceeding days until the monitoring device unit died on November 8 after it was never charged by him.

“This defendant’s actions put the officers and community members in jeopardy in fleeing at excessive speeds and disobeying traffic control devices all while in possession of a stolen motor vehicle,” Katris said.

Lake County Judge James Simonian granted a petition to detain Smith pending trial after prosecutors argued he is a willful flight risk.

Smith is scheduled to appear in court again on February 6 for a preliminary hearing.

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