A high-speed chase in a stolen SUV tore up Interstate 55 near Morris when, authorities say, a Chicago man pushed past 100 mph before Grundy County deputies knocked the vehicle off the road and into a ditch. Deputies used stop sticks and a PIT maneuver to end the pursuit and arrested the driver, identified as Deondre Logan, who was later booked into the Grundy County Jail on a stack of charges.
How deputies ended the pursuit
Grundy County deputies were alerted to a stolen white 2015 Ford Explorer through an ISPERN broadcast and spotted it heading north on I-55 near mile marker 226, according to WJOL. Two other deputies set up stop sticks near mile marker 233, and the SUV kept going north as its tires slowly deflated. The driver exited the interstate at mile marker 236, taking officers on a winding route along Coal City Road, River Road, Route 53 and Strip Mine Road.
On Strip Mine Road, deputies authorized a low-speed PIT maneuver that sent the Explorer into a ditch and finally stopped the chase.
Regional context on spike strips and multi-county chases
High-speed pursuits on interstate stretches that cut across county lines are a recurring headache for law enforcement in the region, as officers try to stop fleeing drivers without turning the roadway into a demolition derby. Agencies increasingly lean on coordinated tactics, including tire-deflation devices and controlled PIT maneuvers, to bring dangerous pursuits to an end with fewer injuries and less property damage.
Similar multi-county chases involving Illinois State Police, some ending only after spike strips were deployed, have been documented in local coverage, as noted by ABC7 Chicago.
Charges and jail status
Logan faces a slate of counts that includes aggravated assault, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, reckless driving and speeding 35 mph or more over the posted limit, according to WJOL. He is also wanted on two McLean County warrants for burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, along with an Illinois Department of Corrections warrant for a parole violation.
Logan remains held in the Grundy County Jail as he awaits a pre-trial release hearing that will determine whether he stays behind bars while the cases move forward.
Legal implications
The case ties together several layers of the criminal justice system at once, with local charges, out-of-county warrants and a state corrections detainer all in play. The multiple aggravated counts carry potential felony consequences, and the existing warrants are likely to weigh heavily when the court decides if Logan will be released or kept in custody before trial.
No civilian injuries were reported in connection with the crash that ended the pursuit. The Grundy County Sheriff's Office provided the initial account to local media, and court records are expected to fill in more details as the prosecution unfolds.
