A group of suspects pepper-sprayed a driver during a carjacking in Long Grove where the suspects stole his box truck Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1 p.m. Wednesday to the area of Route 53 and Long Grove Road for what was initially reported as a disturbance.
Sheriff’s 911 dispatchers learned more from the caller that the incident was likely an aggravated vehicular hijacking, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene and confirmed a carjacking had occurred.
Deputies learned the victim, a 36-year-old Plainfield man, was traveling northbound on Route 53 at Long Grove Road in a box truck.
Covelli said the box truck was rear-ended by a U-Haul truck and the victim exited his vehicle.
As the victim went to speak to the driver of the U-Haul, a minivan pulled up and two suspects exited it.
A suspect also exited the box truck and the three worked together to pepper-spray the victim, Covelli said.
The group stole the victim’s box truck and the three suspects fled in all three vehicles.
“This was clearly an organized plan by the offenders to steal the box truck. The box truck contained electronics,” Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The Chicago Police Department assisted and located the stolen box truck in the area of the 1500 block of Pershing Road in Chicago.
The Chicago Police Department apprehended all three offenders.
They remain held in the Cook County Jail pending charges in Lake County, which are anticipated to be filed soon, Covelli said.