Woman arrested after multi-county car chase ends in Elgin

A 30-year-old Rockford woman is facing charges of aggravated battery of a police officer after leading police on a car chase across two counties Monday evening.

Megan E. Zielinski, of the 500 block of Green Street in Rockford, also faces charges of aggravated battery, aggravated reckless driving, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and driving under the influence, after striking the DeKalb County sheriff's detective with her car near the Sycamore trailer park, police officials said.

The chase, which started in DeKalb County, ended on Randall Road in Elgin just after 4 p.m. said Chief Deputy Kevin Hickey of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.

Zielinski also picked up traffic citations of driving on a suspended license, driving with no insurance, and failure to stop after an accident.

Hickey said the chase began at about 3:10 p.m. when Zielinski was pulled over near the Evergreen Trailer Park in rural Sycamore on a warrant for her arrest.

The warrant stemmed from another chase the woman had with sheriff police in Winnebago, Ogle and DeKalb counties earlier that afternoon, Hickey said. That chase was suspended due to safety concerns, Hickey said.

Following the Sycamore traffic stop, the DeKalb County detective got out of the patrol car to approach Zielinski, when the Rockford woman put her car in reverse and hit the detective, Hickey said. She also hit a mobile home and caused significant damage, Hickey said.

An unidentified woman riding passenger inside the car with Zielinksi jumped out of the vehicle after the detective was hit, Hickey said.

The detective and the woman, whose identities have not been released, were taken to area hospitals, where they were treated for nonlife threatening injuries, Hickey said.

Zielinski took off in her vehicle and continued east along Route 64 into Kane County, Hickey said, where police officials from Kane County, St. Charles, Elgin and South Elgin blocked off intersections and pursued her.

The chase ended just before 4 p.m. after her car's engine gave out on Randall Road near Big Timber Road, Hickey said.

Intersections along Randall Road remained blocked for two hours after the incident took place, officials said. Most intersections were reopened by 6 p.m.

Zielinski was turned over to DeKalb County Sheriff officials following the chase. She is expected to appear in bond court this morning, officials said.