A 73-year-old woman from Homer Glen, Illinois, experienced a terrifying ordeal when she was tied up and held at gunpoint in her own home. The incident occurred while she was unloading groceries at her residence in the south suburbs.
Authorities reported that three suspects were apprehended after a police chase ended in a crash. This development followed the home invasion, which took place on Wednesday around 2:48 p.m. on the 16800 block of South Deer Path Drive, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
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The woman recounted pulling into her garage after shopping, only to be confronted by a man in a hoodie. The assailant brandished a firearm and demanded money, police stated.
Shortly after, a second suspect appeared and compelled the woman to enter her home. Once inside, the intruders forced her to sit on a chair and bound her wrists and ankles using items from the house, officials reported.
The suspect pointed a gun at her and demanded cash. Officials said a second suspect then forced her into her home.
The woman was then forced to sit in a chair as the suspects allegedly bound her wrists and ankles using items from inside the home, officials said.
Officials said the suspects then took a credit card from her purse and demanded her PIN number.
The suspects then left and went to a bank in Orland Park where they withdrew $2,000 from the victim’s account.
“They left her tied up, and they said, ‘You can go ahead and call the police, but by the time you are able to do that, we’ll be long gone.’ They did take her cell phone, so by the time she got out of the restraints, she made her way over to the neighbor’s house and called 911,” Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said.
Authorities said she was followed home in a dark-colored Acura that was stolen out of Chicago. The victim was able to free herself about 20 minutes later and asked for help from a neighbor.
The mayor says the victim is shaken but is doing okay.
Investigators believed this was a random attack, but she was targeted due to her age.
Three suspects were taken into custody by Joliet police after the dark-colored Acura was spotted, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in an update late Thursday evening.
“Patrol officers from the Joliet Police Department located the suspect vehicle traveling on McDonough Street,” the update read in part. “When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver fled, prompting a coordinated multi-agency pursuit. The vehicle ultimately crashed near Route 52 and Rowell Avenue in Unincorporated Will County. Three suspects fled on foot, and officers from several agencies set up a perimeter and began a search of the area. All three suspects were later located and taken into custody.”
One of the suspects was taken to a hospital. All three suspects have “extensive criminal histories, including prior weapons-related offenses and are from the City of Chicago,” and one of the offenders is a juvenile, police said.
The mayor of Homer Glen also told ABC7 a similar robbery happened earlier Thursday in nearby Lemont. ABC7 was told the suspects in the Lemont case were taken into custody. The Will County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed that information.
There is no word if the two cases are connected.
