Two of three suspects have been transferred to Lake County and ordered detained after the sheriff said they pepper-sprayed a truck driver during a carjacking in Long Grove last week.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1 p.m. on May 7 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 in conjunction with a police helicopter.
A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicles and the two U-Hauls stopped but Lewis, who was in the stolen truck, refused to stop and attempted to evade police.
A front tire deflated and fell off the rim, disabling the vehicle. Lewis fled on foot and was tracked by the helicopter.
The Chicago Police Department apprehended all three offenders. “The Lake County Sheriff’s Office thanks the Chicago Police Department for their assistance in this case,” the sheriff’s office said.
Lake County sheriff’s detectives worked with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to obtain arrest warrants for Anthony A. Long, 23, of Chicago; Brence C. Dancy, 31, of Chicago; and Christopher R. Lewis, 27, of Chicago.
The three were each charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, a Class X felony, and vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony. Long was additionally charged with one count of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony.
Lewis, Long and Dancy were initially held in the Cook County Jail.
Lewis and Long were transferred to the Lake County Jail earlier this week, while Dancy was transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections on a parole violation warrant.
Long and Lewis appeared for detention hearings on Thursday afternoon before Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim after prosecutors filed petitions to detain them pending trial.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Shanley-Roberts said that it was fortunate the victim was not seriously injured during the carjacking, which involved the suspects taking his delivery truck — his livelihood that day.
She argued that Long, who made admissions to officers about his role in the incident, would commit new offenses if he were released from custody based on his history.
A public defender for Long said there was a crash and Long got out of his vehicle to check on his friend, who was driving the U-Haul. The attorney said the other driver was angry and Long maced him in “self-defense.”
A public defender for Lewis said he was not denying the facts of the case but that he did not believe Lewis was the “mastermind” behind the crime.
The judge granted both petitions and said the carjacking was “clearly… a pre-planned event” and “highly coordinated.”
Lewis and Long are scheduled to appear in court again on June 12 for a preliminary hearing. It is unclear when Dancy will be transferred to Lake County from the Illinois Department of Corrections.