3 arrested following armed robbery, police pursuit in Wilmette

WILMETTE, Ill. —  Three people are in police custody after a stolen vehicle pursuit ended near the doorsteps of a Wilmette couple’s home.

Elio Montenegro said he was stirred from his sleep early Tuesday morning by a huge commotion outside his Sheridan Road apartment complex in Wilmette.  

The former journalist told WGN News that he grabbed his phone and headed downstairs. 

“My wife starts screaming at me, ‘don’t go downstairs, police are screaming and telling people to stay away from the windows,’ but I came down anyway to find the scene,” he said.  

Video recorded by Montenegro showed the aftermath of a police pursuit.

“The assailant was in between us and they were starting to crawl out of this car that was on its side,” Montenegro said.  

Video shows officers commanding the suspect to ‘get down’ before he is taken into custody.

“He hit the ramp so hard, I thought he was going to slide into the building,” one man was overheard saying.

Montenegro said the suspects were traveling down the street before hitting the corner of a retaining wall, causing a blown tire and the vehicle to overturn. According to police, officers had been chasing the car after the three people inside allegedly robbed a 63-year-old woman on the 400 block of Central Avenue.

The thieves allegedly made off with the victim’s keys, phone and wallet before fleeing in a vehicle likely stolen out of Winnetka last Sunday.  

Officers tried to stop the vehicle. Someone from inside the automobile allegedly opened fire toward officers.

“They were operating under pressure, a high-speed chase, I heard it,” Montenegro said. “They had been shot at, yet, when they got to the scene, they used professionalism and took these individuals into custody without incident.”

Montenegro said he was impressed with the teamwork he witnessed.

“We’ve seen the despicable videos of other police departments making arrests that are not as it should be,” Montenegro said. “What I saw this morning was by-the-book, professional all the way and I’m proud of the work they did and I hope these individuals now face justice.”