ELKHORN — Three people that police say are part of an organized group targeting homes of Asian business owners faces charges connected to a burglary Saturday in Elkhorn that ended in a car chase and crash in Lake Geneva.
The burglary and chase are not related to the double homicide investigation from February 1, 2024, according to an Elkhorn Police Department news release.
Police say the homeowner not home at the time, but was watching live video from their residence that captured the burglary in progress.
Taken into custody were:
A 16-year-old boy from Chicago, facing possible charges of burglary and resisting arrest
Jame Rodriguez, 31, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, facing possible charges of burglary, fleeing causing injury, contributing to the delinquency of a child and resisting arrest.
Harol Canter Rocha, 24, of Palatine, Illinois, facing possible charges of burglary, possession of burglarious tools, contributing to the delinquency of a child, criminal damage and resisting arrest.
Lake Geneva police said on Sunday that they were looking for possibly two more suspects, but no other arrests have been made.
The incident began when the Walworth County Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call about 5:53 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, from a homeowner in the 400 block of Fair Meadow Lane reporting their residence was being burglarized.
Officers from the Elkhorn Police Department arrived at approximately 5:55 p.m. and observed a suspicious vehicle leaving the area.
The officer followed the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Highway 11 by the Elkhorn Area Middle School, however the vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit ensued.
The vehicle fled at speeds over 90 m.p.h., according to police, and when it got to Lake Geneva, the vehicle made its way to Edwards Boulevard.
On Edwards Boulevard, the vehicle attempted to pass a pickup on the right, but struck the curb, lost control, and hit the back passenger side corner of the pickup and entered the northbound lane of traffic when it was struck by another vehicle on the White River bridge.
The suspects immediately fled from the vehicle and ran onto US Highway 12.
One occupant was apprehended on the side of Highway 12, after the officer deployed their TaserR. Two other occupants were taken into custody shortly thereafter with assistance of K9’s and officers from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and Delavan Police Department, as well officers and drones from the Town of Linn and City of Lake Geneva Police Departments.
There was only minor damage to the pickup that was struck, however both the fleeing vehicle and the vehicle traveling northbound on Edwards Boulevard suffered disabling damage.
There were two occupants in the northbound vehicle, both suffered minor injuries, one of which was transported to a local medical facility and released. The occupant of the pickup reported no injuries.
The homeowners reported nothing appeared to have been taken from the residence and investigation into the incident is on-going.
