Police: Man Leads Car Chase Through Chicago Heights Then Attempts to Report Car Stolen

A Hazel Crest man told Olympia Fields police he was trying to avoid jail time when he led them on a high-speed chase through Chicago Heights Sunday.

It all started when police saw a car “sliding to a stop” at the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Western Avenue. Police tried to stop the vehicle, but once the emergency lights came on, the driver sped up, heading north on Western and then east on 209th Street.

Police said the vehicle was going more than 70 mph on the side street and ran through two stop signs. The driver then slowed the car to a roll and bailed on foot.

The car jumped a curb on Gregory Drive and rolled into someone’s front lawn before stopping near a tree. Police lost sight of the suspect but identified the owner of the vehicle as Andre J. Sarpy, 22, of Hazel Crest.

Police got in touch with Sarpy, who said he was on his way to the Matteson Police Department to report a carjacking. When the original responding officer saw Sarpy, he recognized him as the man who fled the vehicle and placed him under arrest.

“I was just scared," Sarpy told police on the way to the station. "I didn’t want to go to jail. I didn’t mean to run from y’all. I was just at the club.”

Sarpy told police when they initially tried to stop him he knew he was drunk and his license was suspended. He said he ran to Joe Orr Road after he ditched the car and then walked to Chicago Road, where his girlfriend picked him up.

Sarpy was ultimately was hit with eight charges:

• improper screeching of tires;
• failure to signal turning right;
• two disobeyed stop signs (two separate charges);
• fleeing and eluding;
• reckless driving;
• no proof of insurance;
• driving while suspended.

Sarpy is scheduled to appear in court in Markham on Sept. 28 at 9 a.m. His car was impounded.

Police report information is provided by the and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.