The Greene County Sheriff’s Department has released more information about a high speed pursuit of a vehicle suspected to be involved in an overnight shooting in Jacksonville.
According to a press release from Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen, at approximately 2:33 this morning a Greenfield Police officer observed a blue passenger vehicle traveling southbound in Greenfield on Illinois Route 267 at speed higher than the posted speed limit. The vehicle has been identified as a Blue Ford sedan. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and the vehicle pulled over, just south of Greenfield. As the officer attempted to make contact with the vehicle, it sped off southbound on Route 267.
A Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy was in close proximity to the traffic stop, and began to assist the Greenfield officer in the pursuit. The pursuit continued into Brighton where Brighton Police attempted to terminate the pursuit by deploying spike strips; however, the fleeing vehicle was able to maneuver around the strips and continue southbound. The driver of the fleeing vehicle at one point during the pursuit attempted to collide with an Illinois State Police trooper squad. The pursuing officers were notified that the vehicle being pursued was a suspect vehicle of a shooting incident that had recently occurred in Jacksonville; and the suspects were to be considered armed and dangerous.
The pursuit then entered Madison County, and continued southbound on Interstate 255. At this time deputies of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police troopers, and officers of several municipal law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit and deployed spike strips to disable the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects’ vehicle maneuvered around the first set of strips and continued southbound on I-255. A second set of strips were deployed on I-255 near the Illinoi Route 162 exit, just south of Glen Carbon. The suspects’ vehicle made contact with this set of spike strips, eventually disabling the vehicle. The driver and passengers then exited the vehicle and fled into an area cornfield on foot.
According to Madison County scanner reports and sources, a helicopter, drone, and K-9 unit were brought in to help apprehend the vehicle. According to one source, a nearby neighborhood was awakened and asked to evacuate the area. WLDS News has left a message with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for more information. It has not been returned at this time.
According to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect’s vehicle was impounded and towed back to Greene County where it is being held for further investigation. An initial search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, shell casings, and ammunition. Several handguns were also located near the location where the suspects were seeing fleeing on foot after the car chase.
Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen says that the identities of the suspects are now known to the law enforcement agencies, and warrants will be sought for their arrest.