Montgomery Car Chase Ends With Truck Crashing, Burning
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A chaotic chain of events led to a truck crashing and burning in the suburbs.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory reports that Josh Skogerboe and his son were the initial victims of a hit-and-run crash on Douglas Road in Montgomery.
"He looked and just took off, and I thought, no sir, you're not leaving right now, so I jumped in my Jeep and I followed him," Skogerboe said.
He chased the hit-and-run driver -- who police identified as 71-year-old Earnest Sercye -- to a car wash. In an attempt to flee, Sercye drove through one of the car wash's kiosks, damaging the structure.
According to the Montgomery Police Department, an officer on patrol in the area attempted to take Sercye into custody. He continued driving recklessly and struck a post at the Salvation Army building. Sercye proceeded to drive to a street's dead end and struck a concrete barrier. His vehicle continued into the field and caught on fire.
"It was just one of those scenes that just kept evolving and getting more interesting," said Chief Robert Watermann, of the Aurora Township Fire Department.
The incident sent two Oswego police officers, one Montgomery cop and Skogerboe's son to the hospital. Everyone is reportedly doing OK.
"Our thoughts and our prayers, too, for the driver of the truck because, clearly whatever is going on in his life, he is making lots of bad decisions in a hurry," Skogerboe said.
Montgomery police say they've charged Sercye with driving under the influence of drugs. They expect to add several more counts to his case throughout their investigation.