Burglary in Indiana leads to high-speed police chase ending in Chicago

HOBART, Ind. - What started as a burglary in northwest Indiana turned into a police chase that ended in Chicago early Monday morning.

Around 2 a.m., Hobart police were pursuing a U-Haul van that fled from the scene of a reported burglary at Sunbelt Rentals, located at 1851 Northwind Parkway.

Police say the van exited I-80/94 at Grant Street and made a U-turn to continue fleeing northbound. The van then re-entered the interstate heading westbound toward Illinois.

The van eventually exited the Dan Ryan Expressway at 71st Street and came to a stop near 71st and South Perry Street in Chicago, police said. The driver and passenger fled on foot. The passenger jumped a fence near 70th and Wentworth, but was later taken into custody. The driver, for now, got away.

The passenger hails from Florida and is 31 years old. He's currently booked into an Illinois jail.

Police recovered a book bag from the passenger which had almost $10,000 inside of it. They also seized loose cash from the passenger's shirt, police said.

Inside the U-Haul van, police recovered about $75,000 in stolen tools and equipment. The vehicle was taken to the Hobart Police Department.

"I commend all of the officers who were involved in this case for their efforts to pursue this vehicle and make an arrest safely and quickly," Lake County, Indiana Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing.