Two suspects were arrested early Friday following a multi-agency pursuit that spanned the Chicago area after an officer spotted individuals attempting to steal golf carts from the Lake Bluff Golf Club and load them into U-Haul trucks, according to lakemchenryscanner.com.
Overnight Interception at Lake Bluff Golf Club
The incident began around 12:10 a.m. Friday at the Lake Bluff Golf Club, located at 355 West Washington Avenue. A Lake Bluff Police Department officer on routine patrol observed multiple individuals loading golf carts into 26-foot U-Haul trucks in the property’s parking lot, as detailed by lakemchenryscanner.com.
Lake Bluff Deputy Police Chief Erik Gehrke stated that the suspects spotted the incoming squad car as the officer approached. The drivers immediately fled the scene in two separate U-Haul trucks. The initial officer attempted a traffic stop, but the drivers refused to comply, prompting the officer to terminate the pursuit near Route 176 and Interstate 94.
Interstate Tracking and Helicopter Pursuit
Following the failed stop, the Lake Bluff Police Department broadcasted a description of both vehicles over the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN). Both vehicles were identified as 26-foot U-Haul trucks bearing Arizona license plates. Radio traffic indicated one truck headed south on the Edens Expressway from Route 41, while the second traveled south on Interstate 94 from Route 176 with an open rear door and an empty cargo area.
At approximately 12:38 a.m., a Cook County Sheriff’s Office helicopter spotted one of the trucks heading south on Interstate 90 near Ogden Avenue in Chicago. Automated license plate readers confirmed the vehicle’s identity in the express lanes of Interstate 94 near 43rd Street.
| Milestone | Location | Time / Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Sighting | Lake Bluff Golf Club | ~12:10 a.m. Friday |
| Helicopter Acquisition | Interstate 90 near Ogden Ave | ~12:38 a.m. Friday |
| Vehicle Abandonment | 1500 Block of West 120th St | ~1:11 a.m. Friday |
| First Arrest | 12000 Block of South Ashland Ave | ~1:18 a.m. Friday |
The aerial unit tracked the truck onto southbound Interstate 57, where the driver repeatedly exited and re-entered the highway at 111th Street and 127th Street, running a red light at Paulina Street. Authorities attempted to deploy spike strips on the 147th Street exit ramp, but the driver executed a U-turn on the ramp, drove the wrong way, and re-entered southbound Interstate 57. Although Markham police officers prepared spike strips at the 159th Street exit, the truck bypassed them, transitioned to eastbound Interstate 80, moved to northbound Interstate 294, and ultimately returned to northbound Interstate 57 before exiting at 119th Street.
Arrests and Ongoing Investigation
The driver abandoned the truck in the 1500 block of West 120th Street in Chicago around 1:11 a.m., prompting two males to flee on foot. According to police radio traffic, one suspect ran through yards and alleys, jumped a fence, and attempted to hide beneath a car and inside a gangway between homes on the 12000 block of South Ashland Avenue.
Guided by aerial thermal imaging that detected a heat signature under a tarp next to an air conditioning unit, ground officers took the first suspect into custody at approximately 1:18 a.m. This individual was found in possession of the U-Haul truck keys. Chicago police officers subsequently located and apprehended the second suspect.
Both suspects were transported to the Lake Bluff Police Department, where Deputy Chief Gehrke confirmed they are being held pending charges of burglary, theft, and fleeing to elude. Their identities have not been publicly released.
Investigators are still determining whether the suspects successfully removed any golf carts from the premises, though current assessments indicate no carts were actually taken, according to lakemchenryscanner.com. The second U-Haul truck remains unrecovered, and neither vehicle had been reported stolen prior to the incident.
