Palatine police looking for suspect with cop's gun, body armor

A suspect who police said broke into the Palatine home of a part-time auxiliary police officer and stole a gun and body armor remains at large, police said.

The officer, who is not affiliated with Palatine police but lives in the 100 block of North Wilke Road, notified police of the burglary at about 11:30 a.m. today, Palatine Deputy Police Chief Al Stoeckel said.

The officer came home and found the rear door had been pried open. A dufflebag with a .45-caliber handgun and some body armor inside was stolen, Stoeckel said.

"At this point, we don't know how many may have been involved," Stoeckel said.

Police searched the area on-foot, canvassed the neighborhood by car, and tracked the suspect with a police dog for a short while before the scent went cold. Authorities do not have a description of the suspect at this time.

Several Palatine Township Elementary District 15 schools were on "soft" lockdown briefly after being notified by police that a suspect with a gun was in the area, an administrator said.

District 15 Assistant Superintendent Jim Garwood said six District 15 schools were locked down for around 10 minutes after the break-in was reported. They lifted the lockdown after police said they believed the suspect was out of the area.

The investigation is ongoing and police are processing the crime scene for clues.