Five Teens Charged, One Dead After Attempted Vehicle Theft Leads To High Speed Chase

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A high-speed chase that began in the northern suburbs ended in Chicago's West Loop early Tuesday morning with five teens in custody and another dead after a related attempted car theft, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Police on Wednesday identified the defendants, who are all now charged as adults.

Deputies responded around 1:15 a.m. to a home in the 17600 block of West Edwards Road in Old Mill Creek for a report of an attempted vehicle theft, officials said.

The 911 caller said he shot at the people attempting to steal his vehicle. The caller was the 75-year-old homeowner, who came onto his porch when he noticed people in his yard, according to Sgt. Chris Covelli, public information officer for the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Covelli said six teens were in the car -- three 17-year-old boys, a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman.

The man, who has a valid FOID card and concealed carry permit, was armed with a small revolver and said two of the boys quickly approached him as he stood on his porch, Covelli said. The man said one of the two who approached him had something in his hand.

"The 75-year-old homeowner indicated that out of concern for his safety and his wife's safety, he discharged his firearm. What we've determined is one of the rounds that was discharged from his firearm did strike this 14-year-old male in the head," Covelli said.

The man fired several shots, but it is not clear yet how many.

The man called 911 immediately following the shooting and requested an ambulance for the 14-year-old who was shot, but all the teens fled the scene in a Lexus reported stolen two days earlier out of Wilmette.

The attempted car theft appears to be a random incident, and the homeowner is cooperating with the investigation, Covelli said.

A "Bowie-style" knife was later found at the scene, authorities said.

Shortly after the incident, Gurnee police near Route 132 and Hunt Club Road in Gurnee were investigating a traffic crash when they were approached by the six people in a stolen Lexus SUV. The teens inside told the officers one of them needed medical attention, and a 17-year-old helped the 14-year-old who had been shot out of the vehicle.

As the officers were attending to the 14-year-old, who appeared to be shot in the head, the four teens remaining in the SUV fled.

The 17-year-old left on the scene was taken into custody.

The injured boy was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he later died of injuries consistent with a gunshot wound, according to the sheriff's department.

Gurnee police pursued the vehicle and were joined by Illinois State Police and Lake County Sheriff's deputies.

Illinois State Police picked up the pursuit around 1:50 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-94, near Dempster Street in Skokie.

The chase, which at times reached 120 mph, ended just after 2:00 a.m. near North Halsted Street and West Randolph Street in Chicago.

"The only reason the Lexus stopped, we found out later, was because it ran out of gas," Covelli said.

With multiple agencies in pursuit, they didn't get far on foot. A 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman were quickly taken into custody by state police.

Another 17-year-old initially escaped, and a deputy and a K-9 responded to search for him.

He was tracked for about a block and was found in a dumpster where he had "buried himself in trash and garbage in an attempt to hide and not be discovered," Covelli said.

Four boys – a 16-year-old and three 17-year-olds – were charged as adults with first-degree murder in the incident late Tuesday. Also charged was one young woman, Diamond C. Davis, 18, authorities said.

The boys who were arrested were later identified as Curtis M. Dawson, Steven D. Davis, Stacy Davis, and Kendrick Cooper. The Davises are all siblings, while Cooper is their cousin and Dawson is a friend, police said.

Bond was set at $1 million for all five defendants, according to the Sheriff's office. They are due back in court on Sept. 5.

While they are charged as adults, the juveniles are being held at the Hulse Juvenile Detention Facility in Vernon Township – though they will have regular appearances at the Waukegan Court Complex. Meanwhile, Davis is being held at the Lake County Jail, the Sheriff's office said.

The intersection of Route 132 and Hunt Club in Gurnee was closed for some time for an overnight investigation.

In:
• Gurnee