Suspect killed in Madison County while leading police on chase in a stolen car
A 14-year-old died and another suspect suffered life-threatening injuries in vehicles they allegedly stole from a Wood River Chrysler dealership early Tuesday.
Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said two vehicles stolen from Federico Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep collided while trying to navigate the southbound ramp connecting Illinois 255 with Interstate 270, near Gateway Commerce Center Drive. One of the suspects was killed.
The driver of a second stolen vehicle, 16, was injured and taken to a St. Louis. Information on his condition was not immediately available.
The Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn confirmed Tuesday that the deceased 14-year-old male was pronounced dead at the scene. The BND will not publish his name because of his age.
Wells did not identify the other injured suspect pending the ongoing investigation and possible charges.
Wells said police responded to a commercial burglar alarm at the Federico dealership, 1875 East Edwardsville Rd. in Wood River, at 1:06 a.m.
“We received information that several vehicles had just sped away from the Federico Chrysler car dealership,” Wells said.
Wells said Wood River officers were joined by several police agencies, including Roland Police Department the East Alton Police Department.
Once at the scene, police “found a broken window and evidence that the dealership had been entered,” Wells said.
“While officers were responding to the burglar alarm they saw multiple vehicles traveling southbound on Illinois 255 from Illinois 143 at a high rate of speed,” he said. “We later learned the vehicles were stolen from the dealership.”
According to a separate release from Illinois State Police, police pursued at least five cars that were driven off the dealership lot.
A Roxana police officer witnessed the collision of two of the stolen vehicles as they attempted onto the southbound ramp to Interstate 270.
A 2015 white Ford Edge rolled over, ejecting the 14-year-old driver. The 2014 silver Dodge Dart, driven by the injured 16-year-old, crashed into a drainage canal about 300 feet off the roadway. The car was almost completely submerged in water, according to ISP.
Wells said an investigation is ongoing, but it appears that the suspects are from the Missouri side of the Mississippi River.
“We are working with the vehicle theft task force in Missouri to confirm this,” Wells said.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Suspect killed in Madison County while leading police on chase in a stolen car."
