Two-state chase leads to arrest of armed robbery suspect near Gurnee

A South suburban man is in custody after authorities say he robbed a Chicago business Saturday then led police on a two-hour chase up Interstate 94, across the Wisconsin border and then back into Illinois before his capture near Gurnee.

Norbert Thigpen, 36, of the 8400 block of South Mulligan Avenue, is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a detention hearing on charges of armed robbery and aggravated fleeing from police.

Chicago police said the robbery occurred about 5:23 p.m. Saturday, when a man they identified as Thigpen entered a business in the 8600 block of South Cicero Avenue on the city's Southwest Side, showed a handgun to an employee and demanded money from the cash register.

The employee obeyed, after which the suspect took the money and fired a round into the ceiling before fleeing, police said.

Illinois State Police said state troopers located a vehicle believed linked to the armed robbery and made a traffic stop. However, the vehicle fled the scene, leading to a chase on northbound I-94 into Wisconsin and then back into Illinois. The vehicle eventually stopped near Gurnee, state police said.

Chicago police said Thigpen was taken into custody at approximately 7:25 p.m.