Suspects fleeing immigration officials caught entering Warren High School in Gurnee

Two suspects fleeing from federal immigration officials crashed a vehicle near Warren High School O’Plaine Campus in Gurnee Thursday morning and attempted to the enter school before being caught.

Gurnee police said they were not involved in the pursuit that began in another jurisdiction.

Authorities said the crash happened just before 8:30 a.m. when the fleeing suspect vehicle was speeding west on Grand Avenue and lost a tire that careened into an oncoming vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued west and then turned south onto O’Plaine Road, coming to rest near the entrance to the school.

Two individuals fled from the vehicle and ran toward the school. One made it into the school, but was immediately detained by agents. The second was arrested outside the school.

“The Gurnee Police Department did not take part in the pursuit, detention or arrest of the individuals involved in this incident,” police officials stated in a release.

No lockdown of the school was required, authorities said.

Police officials said they were told by federal agents the two individuals arrested were previously deported for felony offenses.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin identified the two men arrested as Josafat Garcia-Roa and Samuel Suarez-Cuevas.

McLaughlin said U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Garcia-Roa on Dugdale Road in North Chicago. She said Garcia-Roa initially complied, but sped away when he realized it was Border Patrol. The pursuit lasted about 10 minutes, she said.

McLaughlin claimed Garcia-Roa struck “multiple vehicles” during the chase, though police made no mention of any other property damage other than the vehicle that was struck by the tire.

She said Garcia-Roa was arrested in the school’s parking lot and Suarez-Cuevas was arrested inside the school.

“These two criminal illegal aliens recklessly endangered the public by starting a high-speed car chase and then driving onto school grounds, possibly to seek protection since they are ‘ICE Free Zones,’” McLaughlin said. “Border Patrol does not conduct enforcements near schools but will not allow criminal illegal aliens to put the public in harm’s way.”

McLaughlin said the two men arrested had a history of criminal convictions including kidnapping, domestic violence, domestic battery, assault, battery, interfering with report of domestic violence, felony possession of cocaine, violating bail, criminal damage and DUI resulting in revocation of drivers licenses.

Meanwhile, immigration rights advocates criticized Thursday’s actions by federal agents and the ongoing immigration enforcement efforts taking place throughout the Chicago area.

“Today’s attack on Gurnee is another example of how the Trump administration continues to sow chaos, stopping at nothing and going as far as exposing children in school settings, teachers in their workplace and community members in their neighborhoods to violence and lawlessness,” said Dulce Ortiz, board president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “This is not normal and this administration and its untrained and reckless agents need to be held accountable.”