Stolen SUV crashes into pole during high-speed chase

OAK FOREST, Ill. (WLS) -- A man is in custody after a high-speed chase through several southern suburbs that ended when the stolen SUV crashed into a utility pole in Oak Forest.

Police would only say the description of the man in custody matched that of the driver, a 40-year-old man wearing a white T-shirt and black pants.

The chase began at 2:30 a.m. Thursday when Markham police spotted the speeding gold EMC Envoy. Officers lost sight of the vehicle, which continued into Alsip. In Alsip, police attempted but failed to stop the SUV on Cicero Avenue. Clocking in between 90 to 100 miles per hour, the SUV sped through Crestwood and Midlothian, officials said, before crashing into a ComEd pole at the intersection of 155th Street and Cicero Avenue in Oak Forest.

The SUV knocked down wires and power to a large portion of the area before coming to rest on its roof. The driver fled the scene and no weapons were found at the site, officials said.

"We kind of figured something was happening because he was going pretty fast with no lights on. That's what got our attention. When the lights flickered in the restaurant, we knew he must have lost control," said Tony Richardson, a witness.

ComEd is restoring power to the area.