Round Lake Beach teen arrested after high-speed chase near Gurnee

A 17-year-old from Round Lake Beach is accused of driving 137 mph while trying to elude a traffic stop near Gurnee before crashing early Saturday morning.

The teen, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody soon after, and his case is being handled in the juvenile court system, police said.

A Lake County sheriff's deputy first encountered the teen while on patrol near Gurnee some time after 1 a.m. Saturday, Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Tuesday afternoon.

The teen was driving an in his Infiniti sedan recklessly near the intersection of Route 120 and River Road so the officer tried to pull him over, Covelli said.

The teen then accelerated to 137 mph, Covelli said, and the deputy stopped his pursuit out of concern for the safety of other drivers.

About a minute later, the officer discovered the Infiniti he had been pursuing had crashed near the intersection of routes 120 and 41. The driver had run away, Covelli said.

Around an hour later, an off-duty police officer living on the 13700 block of West Wadsworth Road in Wadsworth called 911 and said a 17-year-old had turned up at his home claiming to have been robbed and carjacked. The teen told the man all he wanted was to call home for a ride, Covelli said.

Deputies arrived at the Wadsworth home around 2 a.m. and soon determined the teen was the missing driver of the Infiniti and not the victim of a crime as he had claimed, Covelli said.

The teen declined medical treatment for minor injuries sustained in the crash. He is charged with fleeing to elude police, reckless driving and aggravated speeding, said Covelli, who added that more charges are possible.