Three of four accused in theft of high-end SUV, high-speed chase detained in DuPage County
Three of four young persons accused of involvement with the theft of a high-end SUV and leading police on a high-speed chase earlier this month were ordered to be kept detained in DuPage County Saturday as they await trial.
Xavier Carrasco, 19, of Lynwood; Matthew Perez, 24, of Chicago; and Mariano Martinez, 18, of Chicago all appeared at the DuPage County court facility for their detention hearing.
Carrasco and Martinez are each charged with aggravated possession of stolen motor vehicle, theft over $10,000, burglary, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Perez is charged with two counts of aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Jocelyn Gonzalez, 22, of Chicago was the fourth defendant who was not ordered detained. She is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
On Feb. 11, Elmhurst police began investigating the theft of a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT valued at $53,975 from the Al Piemonte Buick GMC dealership.
They alleged that at about 4:40 a.m. a black Cadillac SUV drove into the overhead service doors while a Chevrolet SS arrived and a person later identified as Carrasco exited the Chevrolet, entered the dealership, retrieved the keys for the Jeep and drove it away.
The investigation also found that the Cadillac had been stolen from My Choice Motors about half a mile away. The vehicles reportedly went to a gas station in Berkeley but fled when a police officer pulled in.
At about 1:15 a.m. on Feb. 20, a Lisle police officer reportedly observed headlights in the parking lot of a car dealership. As the officer began to investigate, a Jeep Grand Cherokee matching the description of the stolen vehicle fled on Ogden Avenue and entered eastbound I-88.
Shortly afterward, a Villa Park officer spotted the Jeep without lights on traveling at a high rate of speed. Though the officer activated the squad’s emergency lights and began pursuit, the Jeep did not pull over and reached speeds of about 130 mph as it continued eastbound on I-88.
Multiple agencies, including a Chicago police helicopter, assisted the pursuit. In an attempt to avoid spike strips, the Jeep swerved around and almost struck an Oak Brook police officer while continuing eastbound on I-290 as it swerved in and out of traffic.
Near the 17th Street exit, after apparently losing control of the Jeep due to the loss of the front passenger side tire, four people later identified as the defendants exited the vehicle, jumped over the concrete median and ran across I-290.
With assistance from the helicopter above, the four were reportedly taken into custody during a foot chase. Police allege that Perez threw a Glock 20 handgun over a fence and that Martinez was found to be in possession of a magazine that matched the weapon.
In their search of the Jeep, police reportedly found a loaded AR rifle with 28 rounds in the magazine and a Springfield Armory 9 mm Hellcat reported stolen from Cicero.
“The blatant disregard for the rule of law allegedly exhibited by these defendants is astonishing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “The successful apprehension of these four defendants sends a loud and clear message that in DuPage County, we will not tolerate the type of lawless, dangerous behavior as alleged in this case. We will use every tool available to us, including a helicopter and our partners in law enforcement to go after those who break the law and put the public at risk.”
The next court appearance for Carrasco, Perez and Martinez is scheduled for March 7. Gonzalez’s next appearance is set for March 17.