According to local media, a group of young people aged 13 to 15 stole a Hyundai Elantra and tried to evade law enforcement. The teenagers gave up only after 70 kilometers – and while the chase started in Illinois itself, it ended in the neighboring state of Indiana.
During the pursuit, the cops destroyed four police cars and two civilian vehicles. The first patrol car was lost when the officer attempted a maneuver to forcibly stop the stolen car but failed. Another officer lost control and crashed into an obstacle, after which his car caught fire (fortunately, the patrolman managed to leave the vehicle in time). The third police car was involved in an accident with a civilian Nissan, and the fourth car fell victim to spike strips – anti-vehicle barriers that were deployed by the cops themselves along the pursuit route.
Finally, another vehicle (not a police car) that was damaged during the chase was the stolen Elantra. Fortunately, the teenagers who stole it were not injured. Police determined that the car was driven by a 15-year-old girl accompanied by two boys aged 13 and 15 respectively. What punishment awaits the car thieves is still unknown.
