Felon on electronic monitoring steals from Target, leads pursuit across Chicago suburbs: prosecutors

DUPAGE COUNTY - A convicted felon from DeKalb has been charged with unlawful possession of two firearms and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle after stealing merchandise from a Target and leading police on a chase, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

What we know:

Michael Addison, 39, of DeKalb, has been charged with one felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, one felony count of burglary, one felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle, one felony count of retail theft, and one felony count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon without a FOID card.

At the time of his arrest, Addison already had an outstanding arrest warrant for unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and was on electronic monitoring for pending burglary and retail theft charges.

On Thursday, Crest Hill Police received a call regarding a black 2023 Ford Maverick pick-up truck that was allegedly stolen from a gas station. Officials found the car at a Target store, located at 7601 Kingery Highway in Willowbrook. 

Around 8:12 p.m., police say they saw a man, later identified as Addison, running out of the store, carrying two garbage cans. Allegedly, Addison then put the garbage cans into the Ford and fled the scene, hitting a parked car on the way out.

Michael Addison

According to police, Addison traveled northbound on Route 83 to the eastbound exit for I-88, where Oak Brook police used a spike-strip to stop Addison, but he allegedly continued driving to I-294 southbound where he crashed at the York Road exit. Police say Addison then fled the scene on foot but was shortly taken into custody.

An investigation revealed that Addison stole two garbage cans and about $2,642 worth of merchandise, including pharmaceuticals and personal care items, from the Target store. Officers also found two firearms on the floorboard of the Ford, one loaded Smith & Wesson .38mm and one loaded Canik 9mm.

What they're saying:

"It is alleged that last night, Michael Addison, a man on electronic monitoring with multiple felony convictions including armed habitual criminal and burglary, repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law when he stole a man’s vehicle, burglarized a Target store, fled from police and was in possession of two firearms," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "This type of complete disregard for public safety and the criminal justice system will not be tolerated in DuPage County."

"This incident is yet another example of a heavily armed, habitual offender fleeing from police in a stolen vehicle under the false belief that he can outrun effective police communication and tactics," Oak Brook Chief of Police Brian Strockis said. "As I have stated before, individuals who possess illegal firearms and operate stolen vehicles do so with dangerous intent—these incidents are far more serious than mere ‘property crimes.’"

What's next:

Addison will remain in custody while he awaits his next trial date on Feb. 2.