Just after 7 a.m. Lombard Police wrapped up a seven-hour hunt for a burglary suspect without finding the man.
Officers searched a two-and-a-half-block perimeter for a man they said robbed a home in Wood Dale about 10 miles away. Police said the man led officers on a car chase from Wood Dale into Lombard, where the man crashed his car then took off running. Choppers, bloodhounds, K9 Units and officers on foot scoured the area for any sign of him.
"I've been here 30 years and nothing like this has ever happened," said resident Paul Wilson. "It's pretty exciting."
Police said they believe the suspect got away. Police dogs picked up a good scent from the suspect's car but didn't find the man anywhere, leading police to believe he likely made it out of the area.
"We have checked garages, we've checked cars, we've checked homes for any signs of forced entry," said Lombard Police Chief Ray Byrne.
"We've now done throughout the evening aerial searches, ground searches, we had K9's in there and so far to no avail. It may very well be that the suspect evaded us early on during this incident," Byrne said.
At this point, police are unsure if the man is armed or dangerous but say there's no indication that he's carrying a weapon.
"[I'm] Scared. Obviously," said Jamie Kashin, whose son goes to school directly across the street from the search perimeter. "Someone on foot, just robbed a house, obviously if they have the audacity to do that, who knows what they could be able to do."
"Just kinda scary," said neighbor Cody Moutvic. "People don't think about this every day."
While chances are he's left the area, cops remain in the neighborhood in case he surfaces.
"The message to our residents is always very clear: if you see anything that doesn't look right, or see someone that doesn't look right, call 911," said Byrne.
Wood Dale Deputy Police Chief Mike Rivas said the man was working with another suspect in burglarizing a home on the 400 block of George Street in Wood Dale prior to this search.
They have the other suspect in custody. Rivas says they'll be releasing more details on the at-large suspect's identity as soon as possible.
