Buffalo Grove police hunting for man who may have fled with rifle

Buffalo Grove police are hunting for a person who managed to escape from a safety check area Thursday night with what appeared to be a rifle.

Sgt. Mike Szof said officers were performing a seat belt safety check in the area of Dundee and Arlington Heights roads at 11:11 p.m. Thursday when a black SUV rolled up to the scene.

Szof said officers saw a passenger in the back seat of the SUV not wearing a seat belt and instructed driver to pull over at a staging zone for a ticket.

However, rather than pulling over at the nearby parking lot, the SUV drove about a block away, stopped near the corner of Arlington Heights Road and Boeger Drive, then returned to the staging area. Upon arrival, Szof said, the back seat passenger was gone.

"That prompted a motorcycle officer to drive to the area where the SUV went and search for the suspect that was in the back seat," Szof said. "He was spotted a few moments later on Country Lane carrying what looked like a rifle case. He was ordered to drop the case, but ignored the officer and ran."

A perimeter was set up with the help of Arlington Heights police and a K-9 unit, but officers could not locate the man.

The driver of the SUV, as well as a third passenger, were questioned, but refused to talk, Szof said. A search of the SUV, though, turned up ammunition for a 38-caliber pistol as well as a pair of brass knuckles, he said.

Charges of unlawful use of a weapon were filed against the driver, Ronald Edward Jensen Jr., 22, of the 500 block of Bernard Road in Buffalo Grove, Szof said. He said police are still investigating and additional charges could be filed.

Jensen is free after posting 10 percent of a $1,000 bond.