Two teenagers are facing charges after investigators say they recovered more than $5,200 in cosmetics and other merchandise stolen from an Ulta Beauty in Norridge, along with a stolen car that tried to make a run for it on the interstate.
According to Cook County sheriff's police, a group fled the store in a 2021 Acura that had been reported stolen. The car was tracked onto I-55, where authorities say a sheriff's helicopter followed it to the 4500 block of South Wood Street in Chicago. When the vehicle was finally stopped, several occupants ran, and deputies took two people into custody. The teens now face retail theft and possession of a stolen motor vehicle charges.
How deputies say the stop unfolded
In a Facebook post, the Cook County Sheriff's Office (Official) said employees at the Ulta in Norridge alerted the sheriff’s Organized Retail Crime Unit after a theft at the store on Saturday. Investigators then identified a 2021 Acura leaving the area and tried to stop it on I-55.
According to the sheriff's office, the driver sped off and the sheriff’s helicopter picked up the pursuit from above, tracking the Acura to the 4500 block of South Wood Street in Chicago. Deputies say they found more than $5,200 in Ulta merchandise inside the vehicle. Two people who had been in the car were arrested, while others ran from the scene.
Retail theft crackdown in Cook County
The case comes as Cook County authorities are stepping up enforcement against organized retail theft through a multijurisdictional effort that prosecutors and law enforcement have been pushing this year. CBS Chicago reported that the Cook County State's Attorney's Office lowered the felony threshold for retail theft and has been coordinating operations that focus on large, organized crews.
The sheriff’s Organized Retail Crime Unit has also been involved in high-value recoveries, including an estimated $1.5 million in stolen laptops, according to NBC Chicago.
Legal note
The sheriff's office emphasized that "defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." Investigators said the two teens were charged with retail theft and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Under Illinois law, large-scale retail theft can be charged as a felony in many circumstances, and the Illinois Vehicle Code treats possession of a stolen or converted motor vehicle as a separate offense. Outcomes in this case will depend on formal charging decisions and any prior records. For the statutory language, see 720 ILCS 5/16-25 (retail theft) from the Illinois General Assembly and 625 ILCS 5/4-103 (possession of a stolen motor vehicle) from the Illinois General Assembly.
