Escaped prisoner carjacks 2 cars and leads Park Ridge and Kenosha on a chase, then gets arrested

A man arrested on a warrant from Lake County escaped from custody and carjacked two vehicles while he was fleeing Park Ridge Police officers Saturday, July 15.

The suspect is back in custody with the Wisconsin State Police, Park Ridge police said in a news release.

Police said two Park Ridge officers were taking the subject to the Lake County Jail at about 2:38 p.m. Saturday when they noticed the man was acting “erratically” and pulled over when they saw he had maneuvered his handcuffs, which they had locked with his hands in back of him, to the front of his person. The Park Ridge officers requested assistance from the Illinois State Police, per the department news release.

The subject escaped from the officers, who attempted to use a taser to prevent him from fleeing, ran across four lanes of northbound traffic on I-294 at mile marker 52, jumped over a concrete barrier between lane directions, ran across southbound traffic lanes and forced the driver of a maroon Ford van, which had stopped, out of the vehicle and drove off, according to a police press release.

Police said the subject had reached the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Caribou Crossing in Northbrook at about 3:19 p.m. when he exited the maroon Ford van, took a white Chevrolet Camaro using force from its owner and drove off in that vehicle.

Police said they located the second vehicle using its location technology and that Wisconsin State Police located the vehicle in Kenosha County, Wisconsin and took the subject into custody.

They used the OnStar security service to actually shut down the vehicle before he got any further.

"Hands up! Hands up! He's got handcuffs on!" One officer could be heard saying.

The escapee, who was initially wanted on a warrant, is now back in custody. There's no word yet on additional charges.