In the quiet suburb of Lemont, Illinois, a sense of unease has gripped residents following two alarming home invasions this week. In two separate incidents, women were bound and robbed, sparking a swift response from law enforcement that eventually led to the apprehension of three suspects after a dramatic police chase and crash.
The unsettling chain of events began on a seemingly routine afternoon for a 73-year-old woman in Homer Glen. According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, as she returned home from grocery shopping on Wednesday, she was unexpectedly confronted in her garage. The incident occurred at approximately 2:48 p.m. on the 16800 block of S. Deer Path Drive.
As she was unloading her groceries, the woman found herself face-to-face with a hooded individual. The assailant, brandishing a firearm, demanded money, leaving the woman in a terrifying predicament. This brazen attack in a normally serene neighborhood has left many residents on edge as they grapple with the sudden violation of their sense of security.
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A 73-year-old woman was targeted as she was unloading her groceries in Homer Glen.
The crime happened on Wednesday at about 2:48 p.m. in the 16800 block of S. Deer Path Drive in Homer Glen, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said.
The woman said she was pulling into her garage after a trip to the grocery store when she was ambushed by a man wearing a hoodie, authorities said. The suspect pointed a gun at her and demanded cash.
Officials said another 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. 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,” Homer Glen 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.
Investigators believed this was a random attack, but she was targeted due to her age.
On Thursday, three suspects were tied to a similar crime in nearby Lemont.
A 65-year-old woman was targeted around 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of Covington Drive, Lemont police said.
She was unloading boxes from her vehicle in the driveway to her garage when police say the same stolen dark-colored Acura from Chicago pulled up. Two armed suspects forced the victim into her home and she was bound and robbed. Her ATM card and PIN were stolen, and the suspects fled to a local bank to withdraw money.
Three suspects were taken into custody by Joliet police Thursday after the dark-colored Acura was spotted in the city, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in an update.
“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.
No further information was immediately available.
