Chicago Man Arrested After High-Speed Chase in Stolen Jeep and Woods Foot Pursuit in Woodstock

High-Speed Chase Ends in Woodstock Woods After Stolen Jeep Runs Out of Road

A Thursday morning pursuit spanning multiple northern Illinois towns ended in a wooded area near Woodstock, where local and county law enforcement officers took a Chicago man into custody following a high-speed vehicle chase and foot pursuit.

Adrian C. Tellez, 37, of Chicago, faces multiple felony counts after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen black 2011 Jeep Wrangler. Richmond Police Chief Ciro Cetrangolo stated that officers first spotted the vehicle traveling southbound on Route 12 near Burlington Road in Richmond around 11:27 a.m. Thursday. The Jeep had been reported stolen out of Chicago on Tuesday.

When Richmond officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver failed to yield. According to police accounts, Tellez drove at least 21 mph over the speed limit, ignored at least two traffic control devices, and pushed speeds over 90 mph while heading westbound on Route 173 toward Hebron. Two separate witnesses confirmed seeing the high-speed pursuit pass by along Route 173 before the Jeep turned southbound on Alden Road. Richmond police ultimately terminated the active vehicle pursuit around 11:36 a.m. at Alden Road and McGuire Road.

From License Plate Readers to an Abandoned Vehicle on Route 14

A license plate reader camera soon detected the stolen Jeep heading southbound on Route 14 near Kishwaukee Valley Road toward Woodstock. McHenry County Conservation District Police officers located the vehicle abandoned shortly after.

Two chicago conservation police launches

A conservation police officer spotted the empty Jeep parked on the side of the road on Route 14 near Dean Street in Woodstock around 11:56 a.m. Officers from the Woodstock Police Department and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office quickly arrived to secure the scene.

Police radio traffic recorded a man carrying two gas cans walking into nearby woods around 12:20 p.m. Minutes later, an officer located the individual along Route 14 south of Dean Street. The suspect had discarded the gas cans and refused to stop for police, triggering a foot chase through the woods. Witnesses reported seeing officers sprinting after the suspect, while another observed an officer emerging from the brush alongside a canine unit. Conservation police officers and sheriff’s deputies detained Tellez by approximately 12:30 p.m.

Pre-Trial Detention Hearing and Legal Status

Following his arrest, Tellez was transported to the McHenry County Jail. Transporting deputies noted in radio traffic that the suspect was combative, requesting that jail staff prepare for additional help. Chief Cetrangolo thanked the McHenry County Conservation District Police and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.

On Friday, McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb found probable cause to hold Tellez in the McHenry County Jail pending an Initial Appearance Court hearing Friday afternoon. Theodore J. Smith III, serving as McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney, submitted a formal request asking the court to establish pre-trial release terms, which included barring him from leaving Illinois without judicial approval and prohibiting him from carrying a firearm or any other dangerous weapon.

A Class 2 felony charge for possessing a stolen motor vehicle and a Class 4 felony count for subsequent fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer have both been lodged against Tellez. Jail records also show a charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. Under the Illinois SAFE-T Act, these offenses are non-detainable unless prosecutors argue a willful flight risk rather than danger to the community.