Stolen Vehicle Pursuit Ends in Arrest of Juveniles With Assistance of Drone Technology
At approximately 12:35 a.m. this morning, Kankakee County Sheriff’s deputies located a vehicle that had been reported stolen from the 1500 block of South 5th Avenue in Kankakee shortly before midnight. When deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle fled, leading officers on a pursuit that crossed into Indiana multiple times before ultimately crashing into a cornfield in Pembroke Township.
Deputies quickly deployed an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) equipped with a spotlight and thermal imaging capabilities to the area of 18000 East and 5000 South Road. The drone rapidly detected the presence of all five occupants—two 15-year-old males, a 14-year-old male, a 14-year-old female, and a 16-year-old male—all of whom were residents of Kankakee. The juveniles were safely taken into custody without further incident.
“This incident highlights the importance of interagency collaboration and the value of emerging technologies in modern law enforcement,” said Sheriff Mike Downey. “The swift and coordinated response—particularly the effective use of the thermal imaging drone in a challenging environment like a hot cornfield—was instrumental in ensuring the safe apprehension of these juveniles without injury to officers or suspects. I commend all of the agencies involved for their professionalism and teamwork, now if we can just get parents to start adequately parenting again we would all be much better off.”
The juveniles were released to the custody of their parents or guardians. The Kankakee Police Department and the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force are continuing to investigate the incident.