PARK RIDGE, Ill. – A 14-year-old boy is in custody after a car chase became a kidnapping and a police pursuit that left an officer injured in the Chicago suburbs.
Police in Park Ridge say they responded to the 900 block of Touhy Ave around 7 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a stolen vehicle. The victims of the theft told police they had parked their car in the lot of a Walgreens while they went inside to make a purchase. An 88-year-old woman stayed in the backseat of the car. When the victims exited the store, they saw the car with the woman inside was gone. They called police.
Officers issued an alert to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
During the pursuit, an accident involving a police car occurred at Melvina and Gunnison in Chicago that left a police officer injured. His condition is unknown, but his injuries are believed to be minor. A 10-year-old boy in the other car was taken to the hospital. His injuries are not believed to be serious. This car was unrelated to the theft.
“Based on several motor vehicle theft arrests last week, Park Ridge Police Investigators worked several leads,” police said in a statement.
One lead took officers to the area of Belmont and Harlem in Chicago where they located the stolen vehicle and pulled it over in the 4800 block of N. Austin.
A 14-year-old male was taken into custody.
At that time, officers learned that the woman was not in the car and that the suspect had dropped the victim off at her home. She’s safe and believed to be in good condition.
Police say the crime is likely linked to a string of car thefts in the suburb. Three 14-year-old boys were arrested last week.
