3 In Custody After 3 Vehicles Stolen; Skokie Cop Hurt In Chase
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three suspects have been arrested, after a crime spree stretching from north suburban Skokie to the South Side of Chicago, including a home invasion, three stolen vehicles, and a crash with a police car.
Skokie police said around 12:45 a.m., they responded to reports of six people breaking into vehicles and garages near Harvard Terrace and Park Avenue.
Victims said it all started as a home invasion, when a wife and mother found a man rifling through personal items in her bedroom.
Karla Villalta heard her mother scream for help, but had no idea just moments before multiple people had broken into her home.
"I took off my headphones and then when I heard her yell 'They took the car!' that's when I jumped out of bed, and I was like, 'What's going on?'" she said. "By the time I got out, she was just going crazy, and she's like, 'They came into the house! They stole the car!' By that time, the car was gone, so I didn't get to see much."
A neighbor saw the crooks take off in the Villalta's Nissan Pathfinder, and called police.
Just before that, a red minivan was stolen not far away. The thief slammed into a Skokie police car sent to respond to the home invasion call. The female officer was taken to the hospital.
"She is a veteran officer, and she's doing okay. She's been treated and released from the hospital," Skokie Police Sgt. Tim Gramins said.
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Three suspects ran from the minivan after the crash, and two were caught right away. The third stole another vehicle and led police on a chase.
"A third individual that fled that minivan then went and stole a black Volkswagen Touareg. That vehicle was then subsequently located by the Illinois State Police and Chicago Police," Gramins said.
That third suspect was arrested after the Touareg was found at a gas station at 59th and Halsted streets.
Villalta said she's glad everyone is safe.
"The worst thing that happened is we got our car stolen, we got our SP4 taken, but those are just material things. Our lives are still here, and we're good," she said.
Neighbors said nothing like this has never happened on their street before, and they are a little nervous.
Gramins said assistance from other departments was crucial in arresting the three suspects who were in custody.
"It's very important. We, as police officers, obviously we rely on each other each and every day, and we all work together to do the same job, which is keep the community safe," he said.
Skokie police were searching for as many as three other suspects, as well as the Villalta family's stolen car. It's a white 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, with Illinois license plate H595187.
Anyone with information about the crime spree should call Skokie police at 847-982-5900.
