Five Teens Arrested Trying To Steal Rental Cars In Des Plaines: Cops

DES PLAINES, IL — Five teens were arrested late Friday night after they were interrupted as they tried to steal cars from a rental car lot, according to police. Two guns were recovered by Des Plaines and Rosemont police, who said they continue to seek a sixth juvenile from an incident at the same location earlier this month.

Police had been keeping a closer eye on the Hertz Rental Car lot, which is located just north of the Allstate Area in the 2100 block of Mannheim Road. Police said thieves jumped over the fence and stole 13 cars from the same lot May 9.

As two officers were checking the area around 11 p.m. on Friday, patrolling Des Plaines police spotted two people walking around the fenced-in parking lot. Three juveniles were taken into custody in the area. One had a a backpack with a loaded 9mm handgun, police said.

Two more teens were found by Rosemont public safety officers, who had been listening in to Des Plaines radio and come to help. After the two fled police from the intersection of Pratt Avenue and Greco Lane in Des Plaines, police set up perimeter in a wooded area. Rosemost officers located and detained the two using a police dog and found another 9mm handgun nearby, police said.

Two of those arrested had been previously identified as having possibly been involved in the May 9 thefts, police said. One suspect remains at large from that incident, according to Des Plaines Police Cmdr. Christopher Mierzwa.

Des Plaines police said 10 of the 13 vehicles stolen that night have been accounted for, but all of them were heavily damaged after being stolen. One had bullet holes in it. Shell casings were found another. One vehicle was involved in a police pursuit in a western suburb, while another was involved in a crash with injuries after fleeing suburban police. One of the stolen rental cars was also used in a homicide in Chicago.

Police declined to release further information about those incidents citing ongoing investigations.

All of the suspected thieves are 16 or 17 years old and from Chicago who are thought to have driven to Des Plaines with a vehicle stolen in Chicago.

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