DUPO, Ill. – Two suspects, a stolen car, and now a string of investigations. It all comes after a long-standing police pursuit ended Friday morning near Dupo, Illinois.
“We’re gonna chase you, we’re gonna catch you, our state attorneys gonna prosecute you, and our judges are gonna send you to prison,”said Monroe County Sheriff Neil Rohlfing amid the investigation Friday.
Columbia Police apprehended two people on Interstate 255 after a long-distance pursuit. Around 6 a.m. Friday, Monroe County Sheriff’s Police saw a vehicle that was reported stolen driving southbound on State Rt. 3 near Ames Rd. Waterloo. The vehicle was stolen in a robbery in Normandy, Missouri, earlier in the night.
The MCSD deputy followed the vehicle as it drove southbound, waiting for additional officers to arrive in the area to help stop the vehicle. The driver was armed with a handgun.
The Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter was flying over the area, located on I-255 northbound in the Dupo area at Route 3, where sparks could be seen as the multiple tires on the vehicle were missing.
Around 7 a.m., the vehicle came to a stop on northbound Interstate 255 near the 11-mile marker. The driver and passenger were both taken into custody and transported to the Monroe County Jail.
“My guess is once he got out the vehicle and saw the K-9, running, he probably thought that was a bad idea,” said Rohlfing.
Investigators say a 2015 Nissan Altima was stolen and reportedly had a man and woman inside, believed to be in a relationship. Authorities also recovered a BB gun and some drugs in the car
The driver is a 29-year-old man who had active felony warrants out for his arrest that included theft and robbery charges. The passenger is a 25-year-old woman.
Both remain in custody at the Monroe County Jail pending further investigation, and their names have not yet been released.
MCSD investigators are assisting with investigators with the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force due to the vehicle being reported stolen in the robbery in Missouri.
