Four teenagers, three of whom lived in Crystal Lake and Woodstock, were killed after a pickup truck launched off a viaduct and slammed into a train while fleeing police in Chicago Sunday morning.
The Chicago Police Department said they responded early Sunday morning to a service call in the 22nd District, which is on Chicago’s far south side.
A victim reported that an unidentified offender had pointed a gun at them while traveling in a vehicle, police officials said in a statement.
Officers located a vehicle matching the description and attempted a traffic stop, police officials said.
Police radio traffic indicated an occupant in the red Chevrolet pickup truck had pointed a rifle at officers in the area of 112th Street and Bishop Street. It is unclear whether the two incidents were the same or different.
The driver did not stop and officers initiated a vehicle pursuit, which was quickly terminated. The truck got onto Interstate 57 and traveled northbound.
The Illinois State Police later observed the same vehicle based on the description and attempted a traffic stop in the 5500 block of South Cicero Avenue, police officials said.
The driver of the vehicle initially stopped but fled as troopers were beginning to conduct the traffic stop investigation.
State troopers communicated over police radio that the vehicle was fleeing and Chicago police officers responded to assist.
The wanted vehicle was fleeing at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway and struck a train boxcar in the 6900 block of South Cicero Avenue in Chicago around 2:15 a.m.
Surveillance video captured the pickup truck launching off a viaduct and nosediving into the stationary train boxcar, coming to rest on its four wheels.
Two male occupants and a female occupant inside the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, police officials said.
The fourth occupant of the vehicle, a female, suffered trauma to the body and was transported to Christ Hospital in critical condition. She later died from her injuries.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as Vanessa Morales, 14, of Palatine; Yaritz Martinez Villeda, 17, of Crystal Lake; Yuarem Garcia-Pena, 18, of Woodstock; and Cristofer Lopez Montan, 19, of Woodstock.
No other vehicles were involved and no other injuries were reported.
The Chicago Police Department Investigative Response Team is investigating the incident.