A carjacking suspect was fatally shot by Kane County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday after leading police on a mileslong car chase that ended in an exchange of gunfire at Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway in Geneva, authorities said.
The man got out of a gray Honda Accord at the busy intersection and “presented a handgun,” Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said at a news conference. At the same time, a police dog was used to try to subdue the man. The dog bit the man and was in “an active struggle” with him, Hain said.
As the man showed the gun, deputies “returned fire” in his direction, Hain said. The man was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities did not release the man’s name or age.
Sheriff’s deputies were not injured, but the police dog died during what Hain described as an exchange of gunfire. The Dutch shepherd was named Hudson after an Illinois state trooper killed several years ago.
“He’s been a loyal servant to the sheriff’s office,” said Hain, a former canine handler.
Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, sheriff’s deputies received a report of a carjacking that had just occurred at a Jiffy Lube on Orchard Road south of I-88 in Aurora. Deputies learned the description of the stolen vehicle and the male occupant, along with the information that he was armed with a handgun, according to the sheriff’s office.
A license plate reader tracked the stolen car at Route 25 and Stearns Road about 2:30 p.m., authorities said.
The sheriff’s police then located the Honda near Randall and Silver Glen roads in the South Elgin area. The driver refused to pull over after deputies attempted a traffic stop, instead leading them on a chase that continued into Geneva, authorities said.
Deputies eventually stopped the car at Randall and Fabyan Parkway near a shopping center with an At Home store, a Best Buy and an Oberweis dairy store.
Matt Jurewicz, a manager at Johnson Fitness, said he heard a crash at the intersection and ran out of the store.
“Next thing I know, I see five, six guns drawn,” Jurewicz said.
While authorities would not say how many shots were fired, Jurewicz said he heard “double-digit shots.”
An armored vehicle was sent to the scene because the sheriff’s department had information the man had a handgun, Hain said.
“If we’re going to face an armed encounter, we’re going to want to have that armored vehicle on scene,” he said.
The Kane County Major Crimes task force is handling the shooting investigation. When that concludes, Kane State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser’s office will review the shooting itself, she said during the news conferenec alongside Hain. Three deputies, who were not injured, were taken to the hospital for a routine evaluation as per protocol.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver of the Honda fled from other police officers “days prior,” but officials did not elaborate.
Hudson, a 4½-year-old narcotics detection dog, worked with Detective Luke Weston for three years, according to the sheriff’s department.
“He’s absolutely devastated,” Hain said of the dog’s handler. “We all are.”
Geneva Middle Schools North and South, located on Viking Drive west of the shooting, were told to shelter in place for about 20 minutes.
