Here’s a brief roundup of police, fire department and Sheriff’s Office news releases e-mailed to Kane County Connects during the week of Jan. 8 to Jan. 16, 2017.

Roof Fire at Pyramid Manufacturing in St. Charles

At 7:39 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, the St. Charles Fire Department was dispatched to a report of insulation burning on the roof of Pyramid Manufacturing, 3815 Illinois Ave.

Units were on the scene by 7:43 a.m. and upon arrival, firefighters found a fire burning within the roof structure that surrounded an industrial vent stack. Crews accessed the roof structure and extinguished the fire in approximately 20 minutes.

Firefighters checked for fire extension and secured the electricity to the machine that the vent stack was serving. Employees of the business had noticed the fire, activated a manual pull station and called 911 to offer further information.

All employees were able to self-evacuate, and there were no injuries to the occupants or to the firefighters. The cause of the fire is listed as accidental and is attributed to combustibles to close to heat. Fire loss is estimated at $7,000. The St. Charles Fire Department was assisted by the Geneva, Batavia and West Chicago fire departments.

SOURCE: ST. Charles Police Department

Car Slams Into Squad Car at Route 38 and Peck

On Jan. 15, 2017, at approximately 4:26 a.m. Kane County sheriff’s deputies were notified that Elburn police were pursuing a Dodge Avenger traveling east on IL Route 38 heading toward St. Charles.

Shortly after being notified of the pursuit, deputies were notified that Elburn police had terminated their pursuit of the vehicle. A KCSO deputy was traveling west on IL Route 38 near Peck Road and observed the vehicle traveling east on IL Route 38 at a high rate of speed.

A St. Charles Police Department squad was about a quarter mile behind the KCSO squad. As the vehicle approached, the squads activated their emergency lights and both turned around to travel east on IL Route 38.

The KCSO squad was behind the vehicle, and the St Charles squad was in front of the vehicle. Instead of slowing down or stopping, the Dodge Avenger struck the rear of the St. Charles squad. The driver of the Dodge Avenger and the St Charles officer were transported to Delnor Hospital with non-life threating injuries.

The driver, Anna Loan, 59, of 100 block of  E. Meadowland Drive, Rochelle, IL, was the sole occupant of the Dodge Avenger and was cited for the following.

• Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident
• Speeding 90 mph in a 50 mph zone
• Failure to move for Authorized Emergency Vehicle

Deputies have not yet determined why the vehicle fled from Elburn Police Department or if alcohol played a role in this crash. The crash remains under investigation.

SOURCE: Kane County Sheriff’s Office

Crash on Route 25

At about 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, two cars crashed Route 25 between Sullivan and Indian Trail.

A northbound vehicle spun out and hit a southbound vehicle. The northbound vehicle that then hit a pole.

The driver of the northbound vehicle is in serious condition. The Aurora Police Department closed traffic on IL Route 25 between Indian Trail and Sullivan for at least two hours. More information will be available at a later date.

SOURCE: city of Aurora news release

Advisory: New 4-way Stop Signs at Oak Street and White Oak Drive

New four-way stop signs were installed Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, at the intersection of Oak Streetand White Oak Drive on the village of North Aurora’s west side.

Drivers should be prepared to stop. Officers will be monitoring the intersection and will issue citations as appropriate.

For full details, view this message on the web.

SOURCE: village of North Aurora news release

Dive-By Shooting in North Aurora

The North Aurora Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting that occurred in the 1000 block of Orchard Road on Saturday evening, Jan. 14.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:43 p.m. in the parking lot of a convenience store when a suspect in a burgundy Chrysler sedan fired several shots at a car parked in the lot. Injured in the shooting were:

• A female, 21, of the 0-100 block of Scarsdale Road, Montgomery, who sustained a gunshot wound.She was transported to Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora with life-threatening injuries. She was later airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where she is listed in critical condition.
• A male, 11, of the 400 block of California Avenue, Aurora, who received minor injuries from broken glass.He was treated at Presence Mercy Medical Center and later released.

Other occupants of the victim vehicle were not injured.

The suspect vehicle fled the scene and was later located by Aurora police officers, who engaged the vehicle in a pursuit that ended in the 800 blk. of N. Randall Rd., Aurora, where the suspects fled on foot.  The resulting search was unsuccessful.

The suspected shooter was described as a black male with dreadlocks and wearing a blue hoodie. No description was available of the other occupants of the suspect vehicle.

Through the initial investigation, the North Aurora Police Department has learned that this shooting was not a random act; rather, the suspects are believed to have specifically targeted an occupant of the victim vehicle.  There is no imminent danger to the public.

This incident remains under investigation by North Aurora Police Department detectives, assisted by the Aurora Police Department and the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force.

Anyone with information about this case should call the Investigations Division at (630) 897-8705, ext 610.  Anonymous tips may be left by calling (630) 897-8705 and choosing option 3.  Or call Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000 and receive a reward for information leading to a felony arrest.

SOURCE: village of North Aurora news release

Aggravated Battery With A Firearm

Aurora police are hoping information from the public will help in their attempts to identify a man who shot a cab driver during a robbery attempt early Jan. 10, 2017, on the Near East side.

At 12:11 a.m., officers responded to the 400 block of Grant Street and located the 49-year-old victim in his taxi suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound.

Upon investigation, it was learned that the man picked up a fare minutes earlier at a gas station on North and Broadway avenues. When the cab driver dropped off the fare at his requested location on Grant, the suspect demanded the driver’s money and then shot him in the chest before fleeing the vehicle. Sometime during the robbery attempt, the cab driver accelerated and crashed into a nearby parked and unoccupied SUV. The injuries suffered by cab driver were apparently confined to those caused by the gunshot. He was taken to an Aurora hospital by Aurora Fire Department paramedics for treatment.

The suspect is a dark-skinned male black, possibly in his 20s, about 5 feet 9  inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an average build, a mustache and possibly a goatee. He was wearing a white winter cap, blue hooded sweatshirt, black puffy-type jacket, and gray jogging-type pants with a white stripe. The suspect did not get away with any money or valuables.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police Investigations at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000. Calls to Crime Stoppers that lead to an arrest qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department’s free app available from iTunes, the Android Market, or Amazon App Store. Simply search for “My Police Department”, find the Aurora Police, and download.

SOURCE: Aurora Police Department news release