Chicago, IL — Five Teenagers in Chicago are facing murder charges after a 14-year-old was shot and killed by a homeowner during a burglary gone wrong.
Illinois law provides that if somebody is harmed during the committing of a crime, his accomplices are charged with the crime.
Police reported that the teens stole a Lexus, and then drove into a neighborhood looking for an easy score.
They found a home that had a 2011 Audi parked outside it, and got out of the car.
The homeowner, a 75-year-old man, went out to investigate the gang of teens on his property.
The Lake County police reported: “At least one of the male subjects advanced toward him with an unknown object in his hand,” officials said in a release. “The homeowner feared for his life and discharged a firearm.”
The elderly man pulled out a small caliber revolver and shot at the approaching teen with something in his hand.
He struck the thug in the head, and his friends grabbed him and carried him back to the Lexus. Police reported that a knife was found near where the teen was shot, and presumably that was the weapon he had in his hand when he approached the old man.
Normally these stories end here, but the hits kept coming for this genius parade.
The teens ran back to their stolen Lexus and drove away. About three miles away, they came upon the scene of a car accident with police and paramedics on site.
One teen got out with their shot friend and asked for help. Authorities assisted him but realized right away that something else was going on and recognized the stolen car and pulled his friend into custody.
The other four thugs hadn’t learned their lesson yet, so they roared away in the stolen car and led police on a high speed chase.
Their speed topped over 120 miles an hour, and only ended when their stolen car ran out of gas.
But still optimistic, the four took off on foot and led the police on a foot chase. All were eventually rounded up, with the last teen found by a K9 hiding in a garbage dumpster.
The elderly homeowner isn’t likely to face charges. Meanwhile, the five other teens will face a murder charge after their friend was killed in the commission of a forcible felony.
You might life in a peaceful neighborhood, but you never know when six teenagers without the good sense God gave a bug will decide that they want to throw their lives away—and target your home as the place to do it.
This 75-year-old man could easily have been a murder victim in addition to a robbery victim if he hadn’t been willing and able to defend himself!