Police: Five teens captured trying to steal cars from Des Plaines rental lot

Five juveniles are in custody, but one remains at large, after authorities say Des Plaines and Rosemont police caught them trying to steal cars from a rental lot just north of the Allstate Arena late Friday and early Saturday morning.

The arrests came as police were keeping a closer watch on the lot in the 2300 block of Mannheim Road following a rash of recent thefts from a pair of car rental facilities, Des Plaines police Cmdr. Dan Shanahan said. Over the past two weeks, he said, thieves have jumped the lots' fences and stolen 13 cars.

At about 11 p.m. Friday, two officers were conducting a check and saw six juveniles jumping the fence, police said. Officers caught three teens inside the lot and discovered a backpack with a loaded gun in it, authorities said.

Rosemont public safety personnel, who were monitoring Des Plaines radio traffic, spotted two other juvenile suspects near the intersection of Pratt Avenue and Greco Lane in Des Plaines, police said. After the teens ran away, officers set up a perimeter around the area and with the help of a police dog tracked the two to a wooded area. They were taken into custody, and another gun was found nearby, police said.

The sixth juvenile was seen in the area of Rusty Drive and Parkwood Lane in Des Plaines, but he escaped, according to police.

All of the suspects are 16 or 17 years old and from Chicago, Shanahan said. It is believed they drove to Des Plaines in a vehicle stolen in a carjacking, he added. They were being held in a juvenile detention facility.

Despite the arrests, police said car thefts will continue to be a problem.

"I think it will die down for a while, but there are so many crews that are running around, coming from the city to the suburbs stealing cars and committing acts like this," Shanahan said. "Even though we took these five guys off the street, I'm assuming another crew will take their place."