By Dan Carden
MERRILLVILLE — A scene like something out of “The Blues Brothers” played out Saturday night as Illinois State Police, along with Northwest Indiana police officers, pursued a vehicle carjacked near the Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago some 45 miles to Merrillville.
The stolen 2011 silver Hyundai Elantra eventually crashed in the median of U.S. 30, just west of Merrillville Road.
Inside, police found a 15-year-old girl behind the wheel, along with 15-year-old and 13-year-old male passengers — all from Chicago.
Illinois State Police said the children were treated for minor injuries and later released into the custody of a guardian.
Charges are expected to be filed against the driver, police said.
According to police, the alleged child carjacking crew were pursued by police starting at 10:18 p.m. at eastbound Interstate 290 and Racine Ave, then onto Chicago’s expressways and into Indiana.
At one point, an Illinois state trooper drove his vehicle into the stolen car in an unsuccessful effort to stop it, police said.
According to police, a second Illinois State Police squad car struck a wall during the pursuit, starting a fire that engulfed the squad car.
The trooper driving that car was transported to an Illinois hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening injuries, records show.
A third Illinois State Police car responding to the pursuit was struck on the driver’s side by a 2015 gray Nissan Sentra.
There were no injuries reported in that crash, police said.
Finally, police said another Illinois State Police car inadvertently drove over a spike strip set down by police in Indiana, causing a flat tire but no injuries.
The incident remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Chicago Police Department.
Data show carjackings in Chicago doubled in 2020 compared to the prior year and the surge hasn’t let up — prompting Region police agencies to go on high alert.
Local authorities said Northwest Indiana typically sees a rise in carjackings, and related crimes, when Chicago does.
“It’s definitely true,” said St. John Police Chief Steve Flores of the connection between carjackings in the city and Indiana municipalities. “There (are) a lot of them, and that spills over into Indiana.”
For example, on Jan. 23 a group of people stole a car from Star Liquors in Hammond, and hours later drove to a Marathon gas station in Lansing, where they attempted to carjack someone else, police said.
The attempted carjacking in Lansing led to a shootout that killed 15-year-old Troy Pearson, of Harvey, and wounded two others.
Dyer police began to see an increase in the number of stolen vehicles involved in carjackings passing through town in mid-2020, Police Chief David Hein told The Times.
“There seems to be a trend of stolen autos from Illinois traveling to Indiana to commit crimes. When confronted by the police, they begin to flee,” Hein said. “Given our proximity to the state line and a major road, U.S. Route 30, many of the fleeing offenders from the south Lake County area travel through Dyer.”
According to Lansing police, common carjacking hot spots include residential driveways, parking lots and garages, gas stations, ATMs, highway entry and exit ramps, and intersections with stop lights.
Police recommend motorists take the following steps to avoid being carjacked:
- Look for suspicious persons sitting in another vehicle nearby and/or loitering in the area before entering or exiting your vehicle.
- Park in well-lit areas that are visible to the public.
- Keep windows rolled up and doors locked, no matter how short your trip or safe you consider your neighborhood.
- Trust your instincts — if something seems wrong, leave.
- When stopping at a stop sign or traffic signal, leave ample room in front of yourself to maneuver an escape, if necessary.
- Keep your phone in your pocket, not lying somewhere in your car.
- If you carry a concealed weapon, do not keep it in the car.