Charges have been announced against an elderly man who led police on both a high-speed and low-speed pursuit, where he struck a squad car, spanning multiple counties and ending on I-94 near Libertyville Wednesday.
The Bensenville Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a gold Lexus sedan around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of West Irving Park Road for expired registration.
The driver, later identified as Thomas Philip, 73, of Woodridge, failed to pull over and fled from officers at a high rate of speed, prosecutors said.
Philip ran a traffic light at York Road and Green Street and drove into oncoming traffic on multiple occasions, prosecutors said.
The brief pursuit lasted approximately four minutes before officers terminated the chase out of safety concerns.
Bensenville police officers located the Lexus slowly driving through a strip mall parking lot around 10:40 a.m.
An officer pulled up to Philip’s front bumper and he immediately reversed his vehicle, striking a second squad car that had pulled up behind his vehicle, prosecutors said.
Philip once again fled officers at a high rate of speed, avoiding spike strips that officers attempted to deploy at the parking lot’s exit.
Prosecutors said Philip fled northbound on York Road, reaching speeds in excess of 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. The car also reportedly drove nearly 100 mph at one point.
The man ignored multiple red lights before entering Interstate 90 and ultimately making his way to northbound Interstate 294, prosecutors said.
Philip continued to flee officers as he made his way onto Interstate 94 in Lake County.
The Lexus slowed down and drove approximately 25 mph on Interstate 294 just before it entered Lake County. It continued driving at the low speeds on Interstate 94.
Law enforcement in Lake County was requested to assist with spike strips and a Chicago Police Department helicopter also responded.
A police officer in the pursuit reported seeing the driver make movements toward the center console before moments later reporting that the driver was grabbing a cigarette to smoke.
The chase continued past Deerfield, Riverwoods, Bannockburn and Lake Forest along Interstate 94.
The pursuit remained at slow speeds, causing significant traffic congestion, for nearly the rest of the chase, prosecutors said.
The chase came to an end after the Lexus was spike-stripped three times a half-mile north of Buckley Road on Interstate 94 near Libertyville around 12 p.m.
Officers took Philip into custody without further incident and learned his driver’s license had expired since May 2019.
Philip was charged with four counts of aggravated fleeing or eluding a police officer, a Class 4 felony; one count of misdemeanor driving without a valid driver’s license and one count of misdemeanor operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
“For the fourth time in as many days, my office has filed charges against individuals who allegedly fled from the police instead of pulling over,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
“The allegations that Mr. Philip fled authorities on two occasions, the second of which involved multiple jurisdictions through three counties, are very disturbing. This epidemic threat to public safety must come to an end. Every time someone flees authorities, they are putting themselves, the officers involved and the public at great risk, and it is my fear that our luck may soon run out with deadly consequences,” Berlin said.
Bensenville Chief of Police Bradley Swanson said his officers and the assisting law enforcement agencies showed a swift and professional response during the pursuit.
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts, training, and commitment to public safety demonstrated by all responding personnel, the situation was brought to a safe resolution. Their actions helped protect residents, minimize risk, and ensure that the incident was handled with the highest level of care and professionalism. We also recognize and appreciate the support provided by neighboring law enforcement agencies who assisted throughout the incident,” Swanson said.
The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a motion to deny pre-trial release for Philip and the request was granted on Thursday by DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden.
Philip is scheduled to appear in court again on April 13.