Police find drug suspect in lobby of restaurant at Yorktown mall

A Des Plaines man and a Chicago man are accused of attempting to deal at least a kilogram of heroin after one of them ditched police on a high-speed chase but was later caught hiding at Yorktown Center mall in Lombard, according to a federal complaint filed Tuesday.

Law enforcement agents began tapping the phone lines of Anthony Santiago of Des Plaines and Jason M. Hill of Chicago on May 10, and on May 12, agents began conducting surveillance in the 500 block of Bellaire Avenue in Des Plaines after hearing of an imminent deal, according to the complaint.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent spotted Hill leave Santiago's residence on Bellaire and remove an item from his waistband as he got into a Chevy Aveo and headed west on Ballard Road.

At 9:14 p.m., law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on the I-88 westbound ramp from I-294. During the stop Hill “appeared to be sweating and extremely nervous,” and when an officer asked for consent to search the vehicle he took off, according to the complaint.

Hill sped in and out of traffic on both the left and right shoulders of the highway with multiple vehicles in pursuit, according to the complaint. He tossed a kilogram of heroin out the window about a quarter-mile from where the stop was conducted and lost the officers, according to the complaint.

At 9:25 p.m. police intercepted a cellphone call between Hill and Santiago and heard Hill tell Santiago he was parked at the Yorktown mall but the officers still had his driver's license and insurance card.

A second conversation about 15 minutes later revealed Hill was at Famous Dave's restaurant, where Santiago told him to wait until he came to pick him up, according to the complaint.

Responding officers found Hill in the lobby of the restaurant pacing, looking around and talking on a cellphone. After they told him he was under arrest, Hill struck the agents numerous times while they struggled to handcuff him, according to the complaint.

Authorities tracing Hill's route found a black brick-like object with a red stripe on the shoulder of the I-88 westbound ramp from I-294, which contained a substance that tested positive for heroin and weighed more than 1,100 grams, according to the complaint.

Hill was charged with fleeing and eluding, speeding and failure to signal in Cook County circuit court.

The federal complaint filed Tuesday charges both Santiago and Hill with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 grams or more of heroin.