Joliet man charged with possession of stolen car, fleeing police following chase

Bond was set at $10,000 Monday for a Will County man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle, authorities said.

Jaqhuan Simpson, 21, of the 800 block of North Broadway Street, Joliet, is charged with one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

The state had asked for a bond of $125,000.

About 2:11 a.m. Aug. 6, Oak Brook police joined officers with the Oak Brook Terrace Police Department in a pursuit at 22nd Street and McArthur Drive of a 2022 Dodge Ram TRX that was reported stolen out of Naperville on Aug. 5, according to the release.

Police initiated pursuit of the car, allegedly driven by Simpson, who began to accelerate. The officers continued pursuit along southbound York Road to westbound 31st Street. During the pursuit, Simpson allegedly reached speeds of about 85 mph and failed to stop at red lights on 31st Street and Jorie Boulevard and again at Midwest Road. The Ram eventually came to a stop at Highland Parkway after running over spike strips that were deployed on Jorie Boulevard.

Simpson was taken into custody at that time. At the time of his arrest, Simpson was allegedly in possession of a key fob re-programmer and several key fobs were found in the Dodge, according to the release.

“It is alleged that in an utter display of contempt for the rule of law and complete disregard for public safety, Mr. Simpson led police on a high-speed chase in the pouring rain in a stolen truck,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Last week, two cases of drivers fleeing from the police resulted in two innocent people being injured, one of them very seriously. This type of dangerous behavior must stop before someone gets killed. We are all thankful that Mr. Simpson’s alleged actions did not result in a tragedy, but as I have said numerous times in the past, we are pushing our luck. Again, I urge the motoring public, if you hear sirens and see flashing lights behind you, pull over.”

“Once again, this type of reckless behavior and complete disregard for the law has resulted in a significant arrest in Oak Brook,” Oak Brook Chief of Police Brian Strocki said in the release. “Once again, this incident shows that there are consequences for fleeing from the police in Oak Brook and DuPage County.”

Simpson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept 5 for arraignment.