Multiple luxury cars stolen from Waukesha dealership, suspects lead police on high-speed pursuit into Illinois

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Several luxury vehicles were stolen from a dealership in Waukesha and were later involved in high-speed police chase that started in Milwaukee County and ended in northeast Illinois. 

Waukesha police said they responded to the Jaguar and Land Rover car dealership located in East Moreland Boulevard in Waukesha around 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 after reports of a burglary. A maintenance worker told officers here was significant damage to an overhead service garage door.

Officials confirmed a total of nine cars were stolen (eight dealership vehicles and one customer car) at around 6 a.m. Sunday from the Jaguar and Land Rover dealership in Waukesha. 

Waukesha Police Captain Dan Baumann told CBS 58 News, they believe the suspects are part of an organized crime group composed of teenagers from the Chicago area. He said prison time is expected for a felony charge.

"This isn't an 'Oops, I fell into somebody's car and I drove away because I didn’t know any better.' This is an intentional act where you broke into a business with eight of your buddies thinking you're fun and going to make a couple of bucks trying to sell this in the Chicago area," he said. 

West Allis police sent CBS 58 a press release stating around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, their dispatch center received a call reporting several luxury-style vehicles were driven by individuals with their faces covered and the vehicles had different dealership plates.

West Allis officers located a group of vehicles on Greenfield Ave., and the vehicles fled onto I-894.

West Allis officers pursued the cars, which they believed to be stolen, south on I-894 and onto southbound I-94. At least one of the vehicles struck stop sticks and crashed with an uninvolved vehicle on I-94 in Pleasant Prairie. No injuries were reported as a result of the crash. The driver of that vehicle, a 17-year-old from the Chicago area, was taken into custody. 

Authorities identified the 17-year-old as Valentine Calvin.

The Illinois State Police located an additional vehicle abandoned at a business in Deerfield, Illinois. 

As of Monday afternoon, at least six of the nine stolen cars were recovered.

The investigation remains ongoing. 

The WAPD was assisted by the Greenfield Police Department, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, Racine County Sheriff’s office, Kenosha County Sheriff’s office, Illinois State Polic and the Wisconsin State Patrol.