A Chicago police chase ended in Forest Park at about 2:20 p.m. on May 15, with officers arresting two people while a third eluded capture, according to Forest Park Police Chief Tom Aftanas. Field-Stevenson Intermediate Elementary School was placed on lockdown for about 20-minutes during the chase as a precaution. D91 did not immediately respond to interview requests about if all schools were placed on lockdown.
Aftanas said Chicago police chased a stolen vehicle involved in an armed robbery down the Eisenhower Expressway at about 1:50 p.m. The vehicle had been carjacked somewhere near Malcolm X College in Chicago the day before, Aftanas said, and had been involved in “at least” four armed robberies in Chicago since that time.
After being chased down the Eisenhower, the vehicle exited the interstate and pulled over at the intersection of Lathrop Avenue and York Street in Forest Park, where three people got out of the car and started running, Aftanas said.
Chicago police were able to immediately get two of the people in custody, according to Aftanas. The third ran away. Chicago police did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Shortly after the arrest, Forest Park police spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed north on Desplaines Avenue toward Harrison Street, Aftanas said. Police chased it east on Harrison Street, north on Harlem Avenue and eventually to Lake Street in Oak Park.
At that point, Aftanas said the officers received a call from the Chicago Police Department that the car was not involved in with the earlier armed robbery. Forest Park police abandoned the chase as the car traveled east toward Chicago.
“Our chase policy says we chase for a forceable felony, which includes armed robbery. If we don’t know why the car is fleeing we terminate,” Aftanas said, adding that the policy is designed to protect officers, pedestrians, other motorists and offenders.
“On Lake Street, where there’s shoppers and only one lane of traffic in each direction, there’s going to be a car crash,” Aftanas said.
Eventually, Chicago police called the Forest Park police and said that the car officers were chasing was involved in the initial incident.
They said the third individual ran from the stolen car at Lathrop Avenue and York Street and, at some point, hopped into the car.
