Thieves Crash, Carjack At Niles North, Burn Car, Flee: Police

SKOKIE, IL — A group of fleeing shoplifters crashed a getaway car in the Old Orchard Mall parking lot Tuesday, police said. They ran toward the Niles North High School parking lot, where they stole a Jeep at gunpoint. The group of five men fled into Chicago before setting the second getaway vehicle on fire, according to Skokie police.

Five men came running out of the Old Orchard Nordstrom around 1 p.m. carrying stolen purses, police were told. Police said the group of thieves then got into a stolen silver Audi and tried to flee. But they crashed into another car on the west side of the of the shopping center's parking lot, police said. They got out and took off running westbound.

One of the men walked up to two people sitting inside the Jeep in the high school parking lot and pulled out a gun from within a black coat, Skokie police said. The gunman was described as in his 30s, between 6 feet and 6 foot, 5 inches tall, thin, black and bald. The driver of the stolen Jeep picked up four passengers fled the scene southbound.

The stolen Jeep was found on fire and abandoned a short time later around Cicero and Peterson avenues. Images from television helicopters showed the smoldering vehicle on the edge of the Forest Glen Woods Nature Preserve as police from Skokie, Lincolnwood and Chicago, including K9 units, searched the area. As of Tuesday evening, no suspects were in custody.

The silver Audi had been reported stolen from the 800 block of North Addison Street in Elmhurst, where police said the owner left the keys in the ignition and a loaded handgun in the car, WLS-TV reported. It was not immediately clear if two people people in the Jeep when parking lot were high school students or staff, but the police and school officials said they were safe and the school was not placed on lockdown as a result of the carjacking.

Any witnesses or anyone with knowledge about the incident was asked to contact Skokie police at 847-982-5900.

#BREAKING - Chicago, Skokie, and Illinois State Police are searching for multiple carjacking suspects after a stolen car was dumped and set on fire in an office parking lot near Peterson & Cicero. Now on @CapturedNews. pic.twitter.com/W0Au5vF839
— Christopher Smith (@chrissmith) December 18, 2018