Nordstrom Rack burglary: 3 charged in high-speed chase after theft at Oak Brook store

OAK BROOK, Ill. - Bond was set at $100,000 for a downstate Illinois woman charged with leading police on a high-speed chase following a burglary in Oak Brook last week.

Chrischauna Smith, 22, of Peoria, faces one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding, according to a statement from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

Oak Brook police were on a routine patrol about 5:02 p.m. Friday at the Shops of Oak Brook when they saw two people wearing hoodies and surgical masks get into a car that was reverse parked in a parking lot near the entrance of Nordstrom Rack on 22nd Street, the statement said.

Prosecutors said the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over when it sped away after making an illegal U-turn against a red light.

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The vehicle, allegedly driven by Smith, fled at speeds in excess of 115 mph, and entered I-294 where the officer lost sight of it near Mannheim Road, prosecutors said.

[L-R] Chrischauna Smith, and Jajuan Jarmon. (DuPage County states attorney)

A short time later, a separate squad car was driving on the shoulder of I-290 in stopped traffic when it saw Smith's vehicle. Smith then allegedly cut off the officers and struck a squad car, causing both vehicles to go off the road, according to prosecutors.

Smith was taken into custody along with one of her passengers, 18-year-old Jajuan Jarmon of Chicago. A juvenile passenger fled but was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.

Prosecutors said Jarmon and the juvenile allegedly went inside Nordstrom Rack with empty bags, and left the store with $377.67 worth of fragrances they didn't pay for.

Jarmon has been charged with three felony counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, one count of burglary, and one count of retail theft, according to prosecutors.

The juvenile was charged with felony retail theft and burglary, the statement said. He appeared at a detention hearing Saturday where he was released into the custody of his parents on GPS monitoring.

"This alleged fleeing and eluding is very concerning as it allegedly occurred in a very busy shopping district during rush hour," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "Once again, I fear we are pressing our luck and it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or killed. Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident."

"Compounding the seriousness of this case are the allegations that two passengers in the vehicle had just stolen merchandise from Nordstrom Rack," Berlin added.

Smith and Jarmon's next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 14 for arraignment.