Chicago police said a male juvenile suspect is facing charges after a Feb. 8 incident in which police officials' investigation of a stolen vehicle led to a soft lockdown of schools in Elmwood Park.
On Feb. 8, a 2014 Porsche Cayenne was involved in a crash near 73rd Avenue and Bloomingdale Avenue in Elmwood Park, Chicago police said. Elmwood Park School District 401 officials have said police requested that schools be put in a "soft lockdown" at 2:20 p.m. Feb. 8 "due to a search for a suspect in a crime." Elmwood Park officials stated that police officers in the village were assisting the Chicago Police Department "on an alleged stolen vehicle incident."
Before the end of the soft lockdown, which was in effect until about 4 p.m. Feb. 8, village officials announced "two offenders are in custody." On Feb. 9, Chicago police said in an email that the alleged driver of the Porsche had been charged with one felony count of receiving and possession and/or sale of a stolen vehicle and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to land. Information about the second person taken into custody was not available.
Chicago police said the theft of the vehicle took place on Feb. 4. According to Chicago police, a 54-year-old man went to pick up the Porsche from a valet stand in the 1000 block of West Madison Street in Chicago. At 11:55 p.m. that day, a valet retrieved the vehicle, parked it in front of a restaurant and exited with the keys still in the ignition, police said.
Before the vehicle's owner could enter it, a black SUV pulled alongside, and a man "exited the passenger side of the SUV and entered into the driver side of the victim's vehicle," according to police. The black SUV and the Porsche were then seen fleeing west on Madison Street, police said.
Four days later, on Feb. 8, police said the Porsche was in the crash in Elmwood Park. Chicago police arrived at the scene of the crash, which was being overseen by Elmwood Park police, and interviewed those present regarding the Porsche, Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said. Surveillance footage of the intersection during the time of the crash reportedly showed two people exiting the Porsche, he said.
Elmwood Park police: Suspects in custody in 'stolen vehicle incident;' school lockdown over Pioneer PressA soft lockdown of three Elmwood Park District 401 schools has ended, school district officials said.
According to a message posted on the village of Elmwood Park's website the Elmwood Park Police Department was assisting the Chicago Police Department "on an alleged stolen vehicle incident that...
A soft lockdown of three Elmwood Park District 401 schools has ended, school district officials said.
According to a message posted on the village of Elmwood Park's website the Elmwood Park Police Department was assisting the Chicago Police Department "on an alleged stolen vehicle incident that...
(Pioneer Press)Chicago police said the alleged driver of the vehicle had been taken into custody in the rear of a property in the 1800 block of North 74th Court in Elmwood Park.
"As always, we take these kind of things very seriously and we worked closely with our school district to ensure the safety of the students," said Fagiano.
Elmwood Park High School, Elmwood Elementary School and Elm Middle School were put into a soft lockdown on Feb. 8, from about 2:20 p.m. to 4 p.m., officials said. According to Superintendent Kevin Anderson, during a soft lockdown, all outside doors are kept locked and no one can leave or enter. Teaching goes on as normal, he said.
He said a hard lockdown would mean the same exterior door security, but everyone inside would lock classroom doors, turn out lights and hide.
Fagiano said officers remained on patrol in the area during and after the lockdown as a precaution.
Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
