Illinois man chases down stolen vehicle overnight; two teens shot, one killed in parking lot struggle

A suburban Chicago man allegedly located and pursued his own stolen vehicle early Sunday, confronting two 17-year-olds in a parking lot before both of them were shot, one fatally, in a struggle.

A 35-year-old man from Round Lake Beach, the owner of a black Chevrolet sedan he reported stolen several days prior, somehow located the vehicle in the area of Route 12 and Route 120 around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

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It was unclear how the man came across his stolen vehicle in the middle of the night near Volo, Ill., but he chased its two 17-year-old occupants for about one mile south of Route 120 before the sedan ran out of gas. The teens pulled into a parking lot off Route 12, and a physical struggle ensued between the three males. The investigation into what happened next is ongoing.

The 35-year-old man dialed 911 and dispatchers could hear what sounded like a physical altercation in the background, Lake County Sgt. Chris Covelli told the Chicago Tribune. It was unclear who first produced a firearm, but the two 17-year-olds from Carol Stream were both shot during the struggle.

Deputies were dispatched to the area around 2:50 a.m. to respond to a possible fight in progress. Upon arrival, they found one 17-year-old deceased at the parking lot. The other was transported to a local hospital with serious gunshot wounds. Their names have not been released.

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The 35-year-old man, who also has not been publicly named by authorities because he wasn’t immediately charged with a crime, "suffered minor non-gunshot wounds and did not need medical attention," the press release said. He remained at the scene.

Covelli told the Tribune that investigators were still working to determine who owned the gun and if that individual possessed the proper licensing. Investigators were also still working to uncover how the 35-year-old happened across his stolen vehicle – whether by chance, or if there was some sort of GPS tracking installed in the vehicle itself or a device left inside the sedan when it was stolen, he added. 

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The man reported his 2012 black Chevrolet sedan stolen from his home on Fairfield Road in Round Lake Beach on Dec. 30, the Tribune reported. The incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.

An autopsy for the 17-year-old killed was scheduled to take place on Monday. In its press release, the sheriff’s office said that it "has no reason to believe there were other individuals involved in this incident and there is no immediate threat to the surrounding community."