1 Hospitalized, 1 in Custody After Feds Open Fire in West Dundee

WEST DUNDEE, IL - One person is in custody and another is recovering at the hospital after federal agents open fire on the suspects during a narcotics investigation near West Dundee, the Elgin Courier-News reports. The federal drug force fired the shots on Route 72 west of Sleepy Hollow Road, police said. The agents were trying to arrest the suspects when the shooting occurred, Special Agent Leo Hawkins with the Drug Enforcement Administration told the Courier-News.

Homeland Security Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency were involved in the drug operation.

"Shots were fired during the arrest and one offender was struck,’’ Hawkins told the Elgin Courier-News.

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One suspect is in custody and the other was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that are not considered life-threatening. The shooting is being investigated by the Illinois State Police and West Dundee Police Department, according to information posted on the village of West Dundee Facebook page.

A handgun was also recovered at the scene. Both defendants are facing charges in Kane County.

No officers or agents were injured in the shooting.

Jessica DiNuzza was heading home from work when she heard the shots being fired, the Daily Herald reports. She also saw a gold SUV driving in the wrong lane of traffic on Route 72. That vehicle headed for the ditch.

"I pulled over around the block to catch a breath, and I wound up directly behind the field where they were approaching the vehicle, which then I realized, if that guy runs, he would be running right into my car," DiNuzza told the Daily Herald. "I threw my car in reverse and drove farther into the neighborhood."

More via the Daily Herald and the Elgin Courier-News