A DuPage County judge has ordered a 20-year-old Chicago man held without bond after police say he led officers on a high-speed chase through Villa Park at more than 107 mph, with a loaded handgun on the driver’s seat and a juvenile among five people in the vehicle. Don Williams Jr. now faces felony weapons and fleeing charges stemming from the pursuit, which stretched from a botched traffic stop near Route 83 and St. Charles Road onto eastbound I-290 before ending in a crash.
According to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, Villa Park police tried to pull Williams over on Sunday in connection with a suspected earlier felony involving illegally tinted windows and improper lane usage. Instead of stopping, Williams allegedly sped off once the officer got out of the squad car, hitting more than 107 mph in a 55-mph zone near Roosevelt Road and York Street before merging onto eastbound I-290, per the same account.
The pursuit drew in a wide swath of west suburban law enforcement. Villa Park police coordinated with the Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Hillside, Darien and Wood Dale police departments, with the latter two contributing K-9 units, the office says. Oak Brook officers ultimately deployed spike strips on the highway, deflating two of the vehicle’s tires — but prosecutors say Williams kept driving at 65 to 70 mph on the flattened tires before crashing into a guardrail.
Five People, Including a Juvenile, Scattered on Foot
After the crash, Williams and four other people in the vehicle fled on foot, according to the state’s attorney’s office. Villa Park Police Chief Todd Kubish reported that a juvenile and other passengers had been riding along during the chase. Law enforcement ultimately apprehended all five individuals, taking Williams into custody following a brief foot pursuit…