Man charged with retail theft, fleeing police in a minivan
A Chicago man is accused of stealing merchandise from several stores Saturday night before leading police on a chase that ended in Oak Brook.
Miguel Roman, 38, has been charged with two felony counts of burglary, two felony counts of retail theft, one felony count of aggravated fleeing and eluding, as well as multiple traffic and petty offenses, including driving without a valid driver’s license, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
DuPage Judge Joshua Dieden granted prosecutors’ request to deny Roman pre-trial release.
On Saturday, Villa Park officers responded to a Burlington store for a call of a retail theft at about 7 p.m. Authorities alleged that three people, later identified as Roman and two others, filled carts with merchandise and then left the store without paying.
After leaving the store, the trio ran to a 2003 Honda Odyssey minivan, loaded the merchandise into the vehicle and fled the area, the state’s attorney’s office said in a press release.
A Lombard police officer found the minivan in the parking lot of the HomeGoods and Marshalls at Yorktown mall and saw Roman leave the store carrying a duffel bag and go to the vehicle, the release stated. The minivan began to exit the parking space when the officer turned on emergency lights and a siren to conduct a traffic stop.
The Odyssey, driven by Roman, instead proceeded through the parking lot, drove over a curb and grassy parkway near a restaurant, and then drove through the grass onto west Butterfield Road and ran a red light at Highland Avenue, the state’s attorney’s office reported.
As he exited onto Butterfield, Roman is accused of hitting a vehicle with three occupants, including two juveniles, causing front-end and passenger-side damage.
Officers used multiple spike strips to deflate the Odyssey’s tires, though Roman continued to flee police, often driving into the opposite lane of traffic and into the center turn lane, the release stated. The Odyssey eventually stopped in the area of Summit Avenue and Butterfield Road in Oak Brook, where officers tried to box the vehicle in.
Officers approached the Odyssey and ordered Roman to get out. He fell from the vehicle after opening the door. Officers called for medics who took Roman to an area hospital for medical attention. The other two occupants of the Odyssey were charged at the scene and released on their own recognizance.
When searching the minivan, officers found bags from the HomeGoods and Marshalls, which contained roughly $1,364 worth of merchandise with anti-theft devices still affixed, including clothes, nail polish and footwear, according to the release. Officers also recovered garbage bags containing merchandise allegedly taken from the Villa Park Burlington with an approximate value of $2,123.
Roman is next due in court on April 28.