2 charged after Morton Grove crash; gun recovery
Brandon Williams (left) and Keshawn Hawthorne | Morton Grove Police
MORTON GROVE, Ill. - Two people were taken into custody after allegedly crashing a vehicle involved in a carjacking Monday afternoon in suburban Morton Grove.
Around 6 p.m., an automated license plate reader system alerted Morton Grove police that two Mercedes sedans wanted in connection with carjackings in Aurora were spotted in the area. Police found the vehicles in the 6300 block of Dempster Street.
The Mercedes sedans drove away from police and one was later found near Georgiana Avenue and Smithwood Drive, according to Morton Grove police. Two suspects fled the car and police set up a perimeter around the vehicle, deploying drones and K9s. A gun was recovered from the vehicle. It was not clear if police arrested anyone at the scene.
Morton Grove police stopped the second Mercedes in the 8600 block of Austin Avenue. The Mercedes fled from the traffic stop and caused a "significant" crash at the Lincoln Avenue intersection, police said. Police arrested two suspects who tried to flee from the crash.
Brandon Williams, 19, and Keshawn Hawthorne, 19, were each charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding. Hawthorne was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon/possession of a machine gun.
There were no reported injuries. Morton Grove police are investigating.