Five teens apprehended in stolen vehicle Friday in Plainfield Township

Will County sheriff’s deputies apprehended five teenagers Friday night driving a stolen vehicle.

Deputies reported identifying the stolen vehicle about 11:30 p.m. while on routine patrol near Essington Road and Route 126 in Plainfield Township, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies reportedly attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled and ended up striking a second occupied sheriff’s patrol vehicle.

The deputy and K-9 inside the car were uninjured, but the fleeing vehicle was disabled by the crash, according to a news release. After crashing, three of the five occupants of the stolen car attempted to flee on foot.

The driver, identified as a 15-year-old male, was caught by the deputy whose car was struck after what police described as a “short foot pursuit.”

Police “quickly established” a perimeter around the area and, with the use of a sheriff’s office drone, found the remaining two juveniles who fled the car in a nearby wooded area. They were taken into custody.

All five occupants of the vehicle were minors.

The 15-year-old driver has reportedly been charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, resisting arrest, criminal damage to government property, driving without a valid driver’s license, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and operating a vehicle without insurance.

The sheriff’s office said it released the four passengers to the custody of their parents. They have not been charged at this time.

In the announcement on Facebook, Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley expressed gratitude to the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force “for their swift response and valuable assistance during this incident.”