A Joliet man on parole allegedly led Oak Brook police on an 85-mph chase down I-355 on Wednesday, Oct. 7. He passed a school bus on the highway shoulder before running out of gas at a weigh station on I-80, where officers arrested him.

Jovan A. Smith, 30, of the 1800 block of E. Washington Street in Joliet, was charged with one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, a Class 4 felony. Judge Joshua Dieden ordered Smith held in custody until his next court date after a first appearance Thursday, Oct. 8, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

Smith was already on pre-trial release and parole for burglary and multiple theft-related offenses at the time of the chase, authorities said.

The chase

At about 2:43 p.m. Oct. 7, an Oak Brook police officer tried to stop a silver Buick Regal heading southbound on I-355. The vehicle was wanted out of North Riverside for aggravated assault and aggravated fleeing and eluding earlier that day. A Cook County Sheriff's Office helicopter was already tracking the Buick from the air.

The car exited at 63rd Street and stopped at a traffic light. The officer deployed a StarChase GPS tracking device onto the Buick. StarChase uses a compressed-air launcher mounted behind a patrol car's grille to fire an adhesive GPS module onto a suspect's vehicle, allowing police to track it from a safe distance.

Smith then allegedly drove around the car in front of him, onto the curb, through the intersection and back onto southbound I-355. He allegedly reached about 85 mph, cut across two lanes without signaling and passed a school bus on the shoulder.

The Oak Brook officer broke off the pursuit for safety reasons. The sheriff's helicopter kept watching from above.

Smith pulled over at one point and ripped the GPS tracker off his car, then kept driving east onto I-80. He ran out of gas at a weigh station, where officers blocked the exits and took him into custody without further incident.

Charge and detention

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement that Smith's alleged actions put countless motorists at risk. Berlin said the decision to pass a school bus while fleeing was especially alarming. He credited the Oak Brook Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff's Office helicopter unit for their work on the case.

Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said the GPS tracker, helicopter surveillance and coordination among multiple agencies made it impossible for Smith to escape. Strockis thanked the Cook County Sheriff's Office and Berlin's team for their roles.

Shaw Local first reported the charges.

Smith's next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 2 before Judge Brian Telander in DuPage County Circuit Court.