Bullet fragment hit school before high-speed chase through suburbs

Carpentersville police had their suspected drug dealers backed into a corner. Officers had just bought drugs from two men in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant on South Kennedy Drive, a minute's drive from the village's police station, Police Cmdr. Tom Bosshart said.

But as officers moved in to arrest the two men just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, one of the suspects attempted to block officers with a tan Cadillac and rammed into a police car, injuring two officers.

Bosshart said officers fired shots at the suspect — less than 100 yards from Lakewood Elementary School — as he rammed into the squad, shooting out the car's windows.

A piece of metal, which may have been a bullet fragment, struck a classroom window as the shots rang out and tore the screen, District 300 Safety Officer Gary Chester said.

School employees in the front office area, which is one of the closest points to the McDonald's, heard the gunshots.

“The one secretary looked out the window and immediately contacted the principal who immediately put the school in a lockdown,” Chester said.

The driver then hopped the curb and led police on a 20-mile high-speed chase through more than a half-dozen communities in the Northwest suburbs, police said.

The suspect fled along Route 72 through West Dundee, Hoffman Estates, Barrington and Streamwood. It is unclear if officers were fired upon during the chase.

The other suspect was arrested in Carpentersville without incident, Bosshart said.

The chase continued south along Roselle Road to eastbound Irving Park Road where the suspect surrendered in the parking lot of another McDonald's in Itasca. Bosshart said the driver was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with unknown injuries. Witnesses at the scene where the suspect was arrested said it appeared he had been shot, but police could not confirm.

Celia Schiro of Wood Dale was inside the Walgreens across the street from where the man surrendered when she heard the chase zoom by.

“It was the loudest thing I've ever heard,” the 28-year-old woman said. “There were probably 15 to 20 squad cars. They came in from every which way.”

Schiro said she ran outside and saw the vehicles surround the suspect's damaged Cadillac in the parking lot.

“I saw the police had their guns drawn and the next thing I know he was pulled out of the car,” she said. “The ambulance showed up and everyone said he was shot.”

Itasca Police Chief Scott Heher said the injuries were not life-threatening. Although Heher said the suspect is likely to face the most serious charges in Kane County, he also could be subject to charges in both Cook and DuPage counties for traffic violations.

Community Unit District 300 School officials said they were not aware of the sting, but confirmed no students were outside as shots were fired.

“The teacher that was in the classroom thought she heard something, and saw what was going on out there and saw the screen tore,” Chester said. “We know it wasn't there before. There was a piece of metal at the bottom of the sill between the window itself.”

Six students were in the classroom when the object struck the glass, which did not break, officials confirmed.

When the school principal was informed of the shots fired near the school, he immediately put the school in a “code red” lockdown, which makes it clear to staff it is not a drill.

“When we give that alert over the PA system, our staff becomes immediately aware that there is a critical event occurring,” Chester said.

In a “code red” situation, teachers and students lock themselves in their classrooms and work areas, turn off the lights and hide until notified by law enforcement that the situation is neutralized, Chester said.

Illinois State Police are investigating the sting, because Carpentersville officers fired their weapons, a state police spokeswoman confirmed.

Repeated attempts to contact Carpentersville police were not returned Tuesday night. As of Tuesday afternoon, no charges had been filed in the case.

Officers from Carpentersville, Roselle, Schaumburg. Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Wood Dale, DuPage County and the state police were involved in the operation.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Elisabeth Mistretta contributed to this report.