Police: Two Men Taken Into Custody After Brief Pursuit

Two men were taken into custody on Wednesday morning after a brief pursuit that put neighborhood schools on soft lockdown.

An alert Oak Lawn K9 police officer spotted a red SUV that matched the description of a vehicle reported near the scene of a burglary in the 9700 block of West Brandt Avenue on April 9.

When the officer stopped to talk to the driver around 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, the driver ran into a house in the 9600 block of West Brandt.

Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and follow us on Facebook.

Police said that one of the men taken into custody lived at the home.

The officer called for back-up, then looked into the backseat of the SUV where he noticed property matching some stolen guns from Tuesday’s burglary, police said.

The house was surrounded and an Everbridge emergency alert was sent to neighborhood residents and schools.

Both men were taken into custody about 45 minutes later. There were no reported injuries.

Division Chief Michael Kaufmann, of the Oak Lawn Police Department, said that detectives are conducting an investigation. Charges are pending, if any.

“There is a lot to investigate,” Kaufmann said.

Parents reported children at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church pre-school on lockdown Wednesday morning. Students at Sward Elementary School were also “sheltering in place.”