Cops: Elmhurst woman led chase through suburbs

Charges are pending against a 30-year-old Elmhurst woman who led police officers on a lengthy chase Tuesday from Bensenville to Elk Grove Village and back, authorities said.

The pursuit ended when the suspect stopped at a McDonald's parking lot, backed into a squad car and crashed into a tree, police said.

Officers responded about 11 a.m. for a report of a possible drunken driver at York and Irving Park roads, Bensenville Police Chief Frank Kosman said.

He said police located the vehicle — a red 2007 PT Cruiser — about 20 minutes later and tried to pull it over for turning without signaling.

Instead of stopping, the driver continued through a residential neighborhood and turned north on Route 83, Kosman said.

“The car didn't drive excessively fast but just kept on going and would not pull over,” he said.

Bensenville officers ended their pursuit on Route 83 but alerted surrounding police agencies to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

At some point, Kosman said, the driver ended up in Elk Grove Village, where a second pursuit began.

Police said the suspect then went back through Bensenville before parking at a McDonald's in the area of Prospect Avenue and Irving Park in Itasca, where officers tried to box in her vehicle with a squad car.

Kosman said the driver was apprehended after she backed into the squad car, drove over a median to get out of the lot and crashed into a tree.

One officer suffered minor cuts to his hand while breaking a window to get the woman out of the car, police said. The suspect was taken to a hospital for an evaluation.

Charges including fleeing or eluding a peace officer are pending, according to Kosman, who said he was relieved the chase didn't end on a more disastrous note.

“I'm just very happy no one was seriously injured,” he said.