Police chase from South Elgin to Geneva ends in crash, shootout; suspect, K9 officer killed

GENEVA, Ill. (WLS) -- A K9 officer and a carjacking suspect are dead after a crash and shootout in west suburban Geneva.

The Kane County Sheriff's Office said officers were attempting to stop a carjacking suspect in South Elgin around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. He had allegedly stolen a Honda Accord in Aurora and had fled authorities previously.

The sheriff's office said the suspect fled from officers, who pursued him into Geneva, where they crashed at the intersection of Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway.

Police said the suspect got out of his car holding a handgun, at which point the K9 officer was deployed. The suspect shot the K9, and then police opened fire on the suspect.

In the exchange of gunfire, the suspect was shot and killed. The K9, named Hudson, also died of its gunshot wounds.

"This is a big loss for us, but he's an absolute hero today, along with our deputies who brought this to a successful close without injury to any innocent civilians," said Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain.

Hudson was named after a fallen Illinois State Trooper and was assigned to the narcotics detection unit.

"We have a very large K9 unit, the largest outside of Cook County, and it's a very close knit family," said Hain. "This is a big loss for us. He was a great dog."

No other officers were struck or injured, the Kane County Sheriff's Office said.

People are being told to avoid the area around Walmart near Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway where there is a large police presence.

Drivers should use alternate routes from Fabyan Parkway south to Main Street, the Kane County Sheriff's Office said.

Batavia police said there is no threat to the public at this time.

The Kane County Major Crimes taskforce is investigating the incident.

Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) released a statement, saying, "Thank you to the Kane County Sheriff's deputies who worked to protect the law-abiding citizens of Kane County on a heavily traveled road near rush hour. Knowing the suspect had been on a crime spree for 48 hours prior to the incident further presses our need to deter crime across our state to protect our communities and law enforcement. Illinois needs to do more to reduce crime and prevent these events from happening and threatening our neighbors."