Two juvenile girls were under arrest at a hospital after driving away and then crashing an unmarked Robbins police car on the Bishop Ford Expressway Wednesday, officials said.
The squad car was parked at the McDonald’s restaurant at 14601 S. Pulaski Road in Midlothian, when the two girls and another person got in and drove away about 11 a.m., according to Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Dominick Falcone.
The on-duty officer left the car running and “ran in” to get a sandwich, said Robbins police spokesman Sean Howard. “When he came out, the vehicle was gone,” Howard said.
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“Witnesses and McDonald’s video showed the suspects came out of nowhere,” and Howard said he didn’t know if they were customers.
Howard said he believes the suspects did not know it was a police car because there was no indication, except for its license plates, that it belonged to the city. There were no gun or handcuffs inside, he added.
The suspects drove east and entered the Bishop Ford Expressway before it “ultimately crashed,” hitting barrels near the 111th Street exit about 1 p.m., Falcone said.
It was not clear why they lost control of the police car, but Howard said they had been pursued by police before the wreck.
One person in the car fled, but police took the two juvenile girls, who suffered “minor” injuries,” to Roseland Community Hospital, where they are under arrest, Falcone and Howard.
That same McDonald’s has had “similar incidents” during which a car was taken by two females, added Howard, who didn’t elaborate.
The police car was towed from the scene and given back to Robbins. Traffic was moving normally on the Bishop Ford as of about 2 p.m.
No charges have been filed yet, Howard said.