Elgin man arrested after 45-minute car, foot chase
An Elgin man has been charged with leading police on a chase — first in his car before crashing it, and then on foot, police officials said Sunday.
Claude R. Thompson, 23, of the 1300 block of Maroon Drive was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding. He also was charged with possession of cannabis, driving with a suspended license and other traffic offenses.
Elgin Deputy Chief Bill Wolf said Sunday night that the approximately 45-minute chase started after a resident called 911 around 10:46 a.m. saying there was a person waving a gun from a vehicle in the area of South Street and Lillian Street.
Soon after, an Elgin police officer spotted the vehicle near Wing Street and McLean Boulevard. When the officer tried to pull over the vehicle, Thompson accelerated and fled at a high rate of speed heading north on McLean Boulevard, according to police.
The call then went out for all officers in the area to be on the lookout. Minutes later, police discovered the vehicle had rolled over while turning on Sleepy Hollow Road north of I-90. In the car police found a BB-type handgun, which looked like an actual firearm, as well as a substance police suspect to be cannabis, but Thompson was nowhere to be found, police said.
Wolf said Elgin, Sleepy Hollow and West Dundee police officers began searching the rural area near the crash site in their squad cars and on foot. Thompson was caught and arrested around 11:30 a.m. Wolf said Thompson was taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries he suffered in the crash.
Wolf said a passenger in the car with Thompson also fled the scene of the accident. The passenger, whose name was not released by police, was arrested. The passenger was later released but may be charged at a later date, Wolf said.
If convicted, Thompson faces one to three years in prison on the aggravated fleeing and eluding charge, which is a class 4 felony.
Thompson will appear in Kane County bond call Monday morning.