Three people were arrested this morning after a Jeep that had been carjacked at gunpoint crashed during a police chase on the South Side.
The chase began about 1:35 a.m. when South Chicago District officers spotted a white 2007 Jeep Cherokee that matched the description of an SUV that was taken at gunpoint on Sunday, police said.
After checking the license plate, police tried to pull over the Jeep in the 7700 block of South Luella Avenue, according to Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez.
The driver refused to stop and took off, with the officers in pursuit, he said. The chase crossed the Grand Crossing, Wentworth and Prairie districts on the South Side before the Jeep entered Lake Shore Drive at 47th Street, Perez said.
The chase continued north to the I-55 ramp near McCormick Place where officers broke off the pursuit, Perez said.
The Illinois State Police were notified and troopers spotted the Jeep southbound on the Dan Ryan Expressway at 31st Street, Perez said.
The driver again refused to stop and headed south, then exited at 83rd Street and tried to make a left turn and crashed on the bridge, Perez said. The driver fled on foot but was caught in the 8200 block of South Michigan Avenue, Perez said.
Two passengers in the Jeep, a man and a woman, were also taken into custody, he said.
The Jeep had been taken at gunpoint at a Mobile gas station in the 7600 block of South Exchange Avenue on Sunday, Perez said.
A 46-year-old man was approached by a man who displayed a handgun, took the man’s car keys and drove away with the Jeep, Perez said.
No charges had been filed as of 9:15 a.m.
