The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office is in search of information surrounding a high speed chase and a man left for dead by the side of the road on I-55 from the end of September.
According to a press release yesterday from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, on September 22nd just before midnight, deputies were dispatched for an alarm at Hall’s Cycles in the 3800 block of Dirksen Parkway in Springfield. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the front door of the business damaged and ajar. A witness provided a description of a suspicious vehicle, a white Dodge Ram truck, occupied by at least two subjects on the property at around the time the Sheriff’s Office was notified of the break in. The business owner then arrived on scene and reported several motorcycles stolen, with an estimated value of $45,000.
At approximately 1:45AM, deputies observed a white Dodge Ram truck with a motorcycle in the bed traveling eastbound in the 2900 block of Sangamon Avenue, and then attempted to make a traffic stop numerous times. The driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. According to the report, while the deputies were in pursuit, the occupants of the truck were throwing items out of the truck that included a tire and tools in an attempt to disable the deputies’ vehicles.
The vehicle eventually fled southbound on Interstate 55 and left Sangamon County into rural Madison County. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office received assistance from multiple jurisdictions in the pursuit, but at some point during the pursuit deputies lost visual contact with the Dodge Ram. While following the vehicle’s path of travel, deputies located an unidentified male subject lying next to the roadway. Deputies discontinued the pursuit and stopped to render aid while awaiting assistance from emergency medical services.
The subject has only been identified as a 43-year old man from the Kansas City, Missouri area. He was transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.
At approximately 9:30AM on September 23rd, the Dodge Ram was located in Livingston, Illinois by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Upon further investigation of the vehicle, detectives discovered the truck was stolen from the State of Kansas and had altered license plates. Firearms were also recovered from inside the vehicle.
On September 25th, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office learned that the injuries to the 43 year old man found by the side of the road were not survivable. At that time, the Illinois State Police was brought into the investigation. A Sangamon County Sergeant and Deputy were placed on administrative leave during the course of the investigation.
The investigation into these incidents remains open and ongoing. If you have any information, you can contact the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office at (217) 753-6855 or the Illinois State Police Zone 4 Division of Criminal Investigations at (217) 782-4750. You may also leave an anonymous tip with the Sangamon-Menard Crime Stoppers at at 217-788-8427 or through the P3 mobile app.