Speeder in Aurora Twp. charged with attempted 1st-degree murder of Kane deputy

AURORA TOWNSHIP – A speeding car’s driver was charged with felony attempted first-degree murder when he allegedly drove his car at a Kane County Sheriff’s deputy who was preparing a vehicle deactivation device early Friday morning, according to a news release from Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain.

Deputies first noticed the gray 2009 Honda Civic at 1:30 a.m. Aug. 12 going over 90 miles an hour in a 45-mph zone, traveling south on Orchard Road north of Prairie Street in Aurora Township, according to the release.

When the deputy turned around to catch up and do a traffic stop, he saw the vehicle’s lights turn off and then its driver disobeyed the red light as he turned west onto Route 30, the release stated.

The deputy activated the car’s emergency lights and siren, but the driver – later identified as Pedro Vilchis, 22, of the 300 block of West New York Street, Aurora – allegedly refused to pull over and fled, the release stated.

As the deputy began pursuit, Vilchis turned the Honda around to go east on Route 30, the release stated.

Still traveling at a high rate of speed, the Honda’s driver intentionally crossed into the westbound lane, almost striking another sheriff’s deputy involved in the pursuit, causing his car to go off the road and into the grass, the release stated.

The Honda went back into the eastbound lane and continued speeding. Just east, another deputy was in the westbound lane outside his squad car, preparing to deploy a vehicle deactivation device, the deputy “observed the driver of the Honda intentionally cross into the westbound lane and direct his vehicle at him,” the release stated. “Fearing for his safety, the deputy had to run around behind his squad car as the Honda just narrowly missed striking him.”

The disabling or deactivation device is known as stop sticks, which deflate the tires of a vehicle speeding from police, and thus allowing them to be caught, police officials had said in earlier comments about high speed chases.

The Honda went back into the eastbound lane and continued speeding, the release stated.

The pursuit lasted for several minutes. Due to the safety risk, both to the public and officers, police used the deputy’s vehicles to force the Honda off the road and pin it up against the curb at Cedar and Wilder streets in Aurora, the release stated.

Vilchis was taken into custody without further incident. A passenger in the vehicle was released without charges, the release stated.

No injuries were reported to officers, to Vilchis or his passenger.

“We are grateful that no one was hurt in this incident,” Hain stated in the release. “But it is a prime example of why people should just respect and support our highly trained law enforcement officials in Kane County and simply pull over.”

Due to an increase of drivers attempting to flee from law enforcement between 2019 and 2020, the sheriff’s department “enhanced our pursuit driving training mandates, provided equipment for our deputies to safely disable fleeing vehicles, and adjusted our pursuit policies to allow deputies to apprehend these potentially violent offenders,” Hain stated in the release.

Vilchis was also charged with one count of felony aggravated fleeing and eluding at more than 21 miles an hour, aggravated fleeing and eluding and disobeying two traffic control devices, felony aggravated fleeing and eluding, damage over $300, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal damage to property over $500 and two counts of criminal damage to government supported property, the report stated.

Vilchis is currently being held in the Kane County jail and has not yet had a bond hearing, records show. Court records have not yet been filed on his charges.