Car stolen in Wisconsin armed robbery smashed by train near Zion

One person is in custody and another remains at large after, authorities allege, they stole a vehicle Thursday during an armed robbery at a Wisconsin gas station and then abandoned it on train tracks near Zion, where it was destroyed by an oncoming freight train.

Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said the saga began when two men robbed a gas station in Point Pleasant, Wisconsin, and stole a 2005 Toyota sedan after one or both men opened fire during the robbery.

Eventually, one of the men drove the vehicle onto train tracks on the 42600 block of Kilbourne Road in an unincorporated part of Lake County near Zion.

Covelli said the vehicle was not at a railroad crossing but "in an area that no vehicle should have been."

Authorities were notified about 4 a.m. of the abandoned vehicle by a 911 caller just before it was struck by a southbound freight train that dragged the car for nearly a mile, Covelli said.

Investigators discovered a man nearby who matched the description of one of the suspects and took him into custody. Police dogs and drones were deployed to try to track down the second suspect but were unsuccessful.

Because the dogs could not pick up the scent of the second suspect, authorities believe the person fled the vehicle after the robbery but before the crash, Covelli said.

The case remains under investigation, and charges are expected to be filed against the suspect in custody in the coming days.