Natalia Chi
Kane County Police told NBC 5 that the suspect who died Wednesday after a shootout involving police was the same person who escaped from another agency’s officers just days earlier.
The suspect and the K-9 police dog were already dead, and it all ended at a busy intersection in broad daylight.
“I see six, twelve, eighteen cop cars flying over Randal! Eyewitness Matthew Byer said.
Witnesses described the scene as a busy intersection that quickly turned into a crime scene. Matt Julewitz witnessed the end of the high-speed chase and crash and heard gunshots just outside his workplace.
“When a felon drove in there, I got nervous thinking about people stuck in traffic,” Julewitz said. “I thought that picking up a gun surrounded by police must be in serious trouble.”
The gray Honda Accord in question was stolen from Aurora by an armed male suspect around 2 p.m. Wednesday, police said. Police found the vehicle in South Elgin and chased it through several cities before ramming it and crashing it on the border of Geneva and Batavia.
“I saw the police coming out with guns and stuff, and I was like, ‘Something’s going on!'” Byer said.
“Did you hear the gunshot?” NBC 5’s Evrod Kassimy asked eyewitness Gloria Harris.
“Yes, a lot of bullets. I told the kids to get off,” Harris said.
After the accident, a Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy used a K-9 named Hudson to try and stop a gunman who got out of his car with a gun. A shootout was exchanged. The suspect was murdered, and sadly so was Hudson.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said, “He’s been with the sheriff’s office for many years. I wanted to point out that he was named Hudson after an Illinois police officer who died in the line of duty.” .
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a shame the K-9 was lost,” said Djulechchi.
The lawmakers involved were taken to a hospital for examination, but no injuries were reported.
An investigation is still ongoing.
