Auto thief leads police to East St. Louis, two more stolen cars and a second suspect
Police arrested a teenager they say stole an SUV from a Cahokia driveway, but not before he led them on a chase that took them to East St. Louis, where they discovered two other stolen cars and a second suspect.
Lt. Gary Brewer, deputy commander of the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force said a Cahokia woman left her car running in the driveway while she went briefly back into her home on Sauget Avenue to fetch something she had forgotten.
That’s when the juvenile suspect hopped into her 2014 white Dodge Journey and sped off as the victim watched him through a window, Brewer said.
A Sauget police officer tracked the stolen SUV on Falling Springs Road and followed it to East St. Louis. At 39th Street, the teenage driver bailed out of the vehicle.
“Fortunately, East St. Louis Police and Illinois State Police were in the area. The juvenile was arrested,” Brewer said.
Officers made a second arrest, too. The chase led police to two more stolen cars on 40th Street and a second suspect, an adult male, was arrested, Brewer said. The name of the adult suspect is being withheld pending charges.
Brewer warned residents once again to not leave vehicles running with keys inside, even for a moment. Car thieves look for easy targets, he said.
“Please don’t leave your keys in your car,” he said. “If you do make sure you have auto lock which won’t allow it to move when it’s put into drive.”
