A Chicago man has been denied pre-trial release based on charges of burglary and leading police on a car chase in DuPage County. Miguel Roman, 38, stands accused of stealing over $3,400 in merchandise from two retail stores and prompting a pursuit by law enforcement. This decision was made public by DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Villa Park Deputy Chief of Police Dan McCann, as stated on the DuPage County State’s Attorney's Office website.
On Saturday evening, Villa Park police officers were dispatched to Burlington for a retail theft call. It is alleged that Roman, along with co-defendants Brian Gomez and Altafracia Gomez, took merchandise without paying and fled. However, while the Gomez individuals were released with sureties, Roman led officers on a desperate chase, culminating in a traffic collision and the deployment of spike strips to disable his vehicle, according to authorities. "The allegations that these three defendants entered two businesses, helped themselves to nearly thirty-five hundred dollars' worth of merchandise and then fled the stores without paying are outrageous," Berlin said in a statement obtained by the DuPage County State’s Attorney's Office website.
In the course of the chase, Roman engaged in dangerous driving maneuvers, putting "countless innocent pedestrians and motorists at great risk," per Berlin's comments. The chase spanned a busy shopping mall parking lot, overpassed curbs and grassy areas, and involved Roman driving the getaway vehicle into oncoming traffic. The authorities' persistence ultimately led to the incident's resolution without any serious injuries to the occupants of the struck vehicle, which included two juveniles.
The incident has drawn a stern response from local law enforcement and the State's Attorney's Office. "In Villa Park, we take any situation that endangers public safety extremely seriously," McCann mentioned in a release. The cooperative efforts of multiple police departments were highlighted as essential in the operation and the charges laid against the defendants. Roman is scheduled to appear in court on April 28, 2025, while hearings for the Gomez defendants are set for later dates.
