An 18-year-old Centralia woman was arrested after police said a pursuit early Wednesday ended with her car disabled in a fire hydrant collision and officers catching her after she ran from the scene. Shamira Boston, of South Sycamore, faces multiple charges stemming from the incident, which began shortly after midnight.
The account by southernillinoisnow.com says officers tried to stop Boston's car at Broadway near Sycamore at 12:24 a.m. Wednesday. Police said she did not stop, and officers pursued her through the city.
The pursuit ended after a crash
According to the same account, the pursuit reached West McCord and continued against traffic on Noleman Street. Boston then attempted to turn onto Pine Street, missed the turn and struck a fire hydrant, leaving the car disabled.
Police said Boston ran from the disabled car. Officers caught up with her and used a Taser before taking her into custody, the report says.
Hospital treatment and court appearance
Boston was taken to SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital for treatment after the arrest, according to the report. She was later released on a notice to appear in court.
Police say Boston faces charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding police, resisting or obstructing arrest, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The report also says she was cited for having no insurance, being unlicensed and multiple other traffic violations.
Statewide pursuit data and policy context
An Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board analysis reported that 143 of the pursuits reported in Illinois during 2021—16.51%—ended in crashes. That is a single-year figure and does not establish a trend. The board's pursuit guidelines, revised in December 2024, are intended to inform agencies as they develop policies; they do not create legal obligations or direct individual officers. Those statewide guidelines do not establish Centralia's policy or what officers decided in this case, and the information cited here does not specify what pursuit policies Centralia makes publicly available.
A separate Centralia-area pursuit reported by Southern Illinois Now on October 11, 2026, involved a 45-year-old Patoka man. That pursuit ended at a residence in Patoka, where the driver was taken into custody without incident; it did not end in the crash and foot pursuit described here.
