Police: Armed robbery suspectss caught after fleeing on tollway

Charges are pending against three men suspected in an armed robbery who led police officers on a chase that began in Deerfield and ended on the Tri-State Tollway’s eastbound exit ramp at Route 22 near Lincolnshire.

Deerfield police said a 911 emergency call was received about 7:30 p.m. Monday from an employee who reported an armed robbery at a village business on the 100 block of South Waukegan Road.

Police said two offenders entered the store; one armed with a handgun. Both men ordered all customers and employees into a back office and then began removing a large volume of the store’s merchandise before running to a waiting vehicle driven by the third suspect.

Deerfield officers responding to the robbery call saw the suspects leaving the scene and followed them north on the I-94 spur to the Tri-State Tollway toward Route 22, according to authorities. The vehicle struck a median as it attempted to exit eastbound to Route 22 near Lincolnshire.

Police said the three suspects fled on foot from the vehicle and ultimately were caught after a search of the area by local law-enforcement agencies that assisted Deerfield. No injuries were reported during the robbery or subsequent search. All three men remained in custody Tuesday at the Deerfield Police Department, pending approval of charges from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Deerfield authorities said they won’t release the suspects’ names until they are formally charged.

Assistance in tracking down the suspects was provided to Deerfield by police departments from Northbrook, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Bannockburn, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Winthrop Harbor, Mount Prospect, Lincolnshire and Northfield. The Lake County sheriff’s office and the Illinois State Police Air One unit also participated in the manhunt.