Algonquin police searching for theft, carjacking suspects

Algonquin police are searching for two men who stole liquor Thursday from a Jewel-Osco and then fled, one of them in a hijacked vehicle.

Authorities responded about 12:05 p.m. to the store at 1501 E. Algonquin Road, where the two men apparently stole alcohol and ran into the parking lot, according to a news release from Algonquin police.

One of the men approached a 58-year-old woman standing outside her vehicle, pushed her to the ground and drove off in her vehicle, officials said. The second man fled on foot toward Sandbloom Road.

The woman was not injured, and her vehicle was found soon after in a neighboring town.

The carjacking prompted Algonquin Middle School and Eastview Elementary School to initiate a shelter-in-place Thursday afternoon, meaning the schools were operating with a heightened sense of security, Community Unit District 300 spokesman Anthony McGinn said.

St. Margaret Mary Catholic School also was on a soft lockdown after police warned the school of "criminal activity in the area," Principal Brenna O'Hearn said in an email to parents. The extra precautions were lifted when police determined the suspects were no longer in the area, officials said.

The suspects are described as black men between the ages of 18 to 25 with average heights and builds. One man was wearing a red and black Chicago Blackhawks hooded sweatshirt and black exercise pants with white stripes. The second was wearing a white jacket with a red stripe across the chest and black exercise pants with white stripes.

Anyone with information about the theft or carjacking is asked to contact the Algonquin Police Department at (847) 658-4531.