CHICAGO, IL — Three suspects were taken into custody after an early morning chase on the Dan Ryan Expressway ended with a crash on Chicago’s South Side, according to Illinois State Police.
The pursuit began after troopers spotted a stolen SUV that was wanted in connection with a carjacking in Montgomery. Police said the vehicle was first seen around 1:55 a.m. near 79th Street on the Dan Ryan.
After about 13 miles, the SUV crashed in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw Street. Police said the three people inside ran off, but officers quickly caught them during a short foot chase.
How the chase started near 79th Street
Illinois State Police said the SUV had already drawn attention because it was tied to a carjacking reported in Montgomery on Tuesday. Troopers identified the vehicle on the expressway just after 1:55 a.m., then moved to follow it.
The Dan Ryan is one of the city’s busiest travel routes, and the pursuit stretched through several miles before ending in the city neighborhood where the crash happened. Officials did not immediately release the identities of the suspects.
The agency also did not say who was in the stolen vehicle or how many people were connected to the Montgomery carjacking case beyond the three taken into custody after the chase. Those details may be part of a continuing investigation.
Crash on West Grenshaw Street ended the pursuit
The chase came to a stop in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw Street, where the SUV crashed after the 13-mile run, police said. That collision marked the end of the vehicle pursuit, but not the end of the incident.
Once the SUV stopped, three suspects got out and tried to escape on foot. Illinois State Police said officers then chased them briefly before placing all three in custody.
No injuries were mentioned in the information released by police, and officials did not say whether other vehicles were involved in the crash. The condition of the SUV after the wreck also was not described.
Connection to a Montgomery carjacking
Police said the SUV was wanted in connection with a carjacking in Montgomery, a detail that made the vehicle more significant than an ordinary stolen-car stop. That connection is what prompted the police response after the vehicle was spotted on the expressway.
Illinois State Police did not provide more information about the Montgomery case, including when the carjacking occurred or whether anyone was injured there. The agency also did not say whether the vehicle was taken during that incident or found later.
Even with those missing details, the stolen SUV’s link to the earlier carjacking helped explain the urgency of the stop on the Dan Ryan. The case now appears to involve both a theft and a separate violent crime investigation.
What officials have said so far
So far, Illinois State Police have confirmed only the basic sequence: officers spotted the SUV, followed it, saw it crash, and took three people into custody after a foot chase. That is the central account the agency has released publicly.
Police have not said what charges, if any, the suspects may face. They also have not identified the people in custody or said whether the vehicle has been returned to its owner.
Because the chase began before daybreak and ended in a residential stretch of Chicago, the incident drew attention to the risks of high-speed pursuits in dense city traffic. Police, however, have not released any broader policy comments about the stop.
Why the Dan Ryan pursuit stood out
Chases that begin on the expressway and end on neighborhood streets can move quickly across busy parts of the city, and this one covered about 13 miles before the SUV crashed. That distance helped set the scale of the incident.
The case also stands out because the vehicle was not just stolen; it was wanted in connection with a carjacking in another suburb. That gave officers a reason to treat the stop as more than a routine traffic or theft case.
Illinois State Police have not announced any further details about the investigation. For now, the key facts are the overnight sighting, the crash on West Grenshaw Street, and the three arrests that followed.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
