Stolen car leads police on high-speed chase from Coal City to McCormick Place

Four people have been charged in connection with a high-speed police pursuit that spanned more than 60 miles from Coal City to McCormick Place on Chicago’s South Side.

The pursuit started about 1:30 a.m. when Coal City police officers spotted a suspicious vehicle stopped in the middle of Shabbona Street with its lights off, according to Coal City Police Sgt. Thomas Logan. A person then ran out of a nearby lot and got into the vehicle, which drove off southbound on Shabbona toward 1st Street.

Officers observed the vehicle driving erratically and were informed by dispatchers that it had been reported stolen from Naperville, Logan said. They tried to pull the vehicle over when it was eastbound on Illinois Route 113, but it refused to stop and eventually got onto I-55.

The vehicle continued on the expressway in a pursuit that involved Channahon police and Illinois State Police, who used spike strips to try to stop it, Logan said. The vehicle reached speeds higher than 100 mph during the chase.

It eventually stopped near McCormick Place, where the four occupants got out and tried to run away on foot, according to Logan. The suspects – a 19-year-old man and three boys, ages 16, 16 and 17, all from the Englewood area – were eventually taken into custody.

Devin Reed, 19, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and obstruction of identification for giving police a false name, according to Coal City police. He was being held at the Grundy County jail.

The three teens were expected to appear at the Grundy County Courthouse on Wednesday on charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, reckless driving and fleeing and eluding, police said.