Witnesses told WGN that police were pursuing vehicle before crash
PALATINE, Ill. — Two people were arrested following a multi-vehicle crash that closed down a major artery in northwest suburban Palatine on Thursday morning.
According to witnesses, officers were chasing a vehicle that then crashed into several cars at N. Rand Rd. and N. Winslow Dr. just before 11 a.m.
“We basically heard police sirens and a lot of people coming outside,” said Eryk Bosak of Tinting Chicago at 1402 N. Rand Rd. “I saw smoke and said, ‘What happened here?’”
Surveillance video recorded from his business showed a black Honda CR-V swerving to avoid one vehicle and spinning out of control. The CR-V rear-ended a gold GMC Yukon, which then hit two cars in front of it. The video shows a man get out of the CR-V, run through Bosak’s parking lot and into the neighboring R&M Performance Auto Care shop.
“I was working on the car. I saw him from the middle of the parking lot, running in here he flew back past the car into the back room. Then he came right back through here,” R&M employee Rei Nati told WGN. “I didn’t want anything to do with it. I’m sure people would try to tackle him. It’s not really worth your life.”
Nati said he ran outside to alert police that the man from the vehicle was inside. He said six officers went in and took the suspect out in handcuffs. The driver of the Honda CR-V was loaded into an ambulance and also arrested.
Witnesses said the drivers of the cars that were hit were OK, though one woman was treated by paramedics.
“We tried to calm them down, asked if they needed help. There was one lady who had a big bruise on her head,” Bosak said.
Nearby Palatine High School was briefly placed on a soft lockdown during the police activity.
WGN has reached out to police for more details on the crash.