CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) - More than 40 commercial burglaries along with several stolen vehicles in April, spanning multiple North suburban jurisdictions, led Gurnee detectives to form and coordinate a multi-agency burglary task force.
During the early morning hours of May 2, 2026, at approximately 5:20 AM, Gurnee Detectives, while conducting surveillance in Waukegan as part of this investigation, observed a stolen Kia. Working in collaboration with the Waukegan Police Department and several other Lake County law enforcement agencies, officers took three juveniles into custody, a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds from Waukegan, who are believed to be involved in both the vehicle theft and a series of commercial burglaries.
Detectives are still trying to determine if there are any other individuals that may be involved.
“This case reflects the complexity of investigating a series of related incidents across multiple jurisdictions and the importance of strong collaboration among law enforcement partners,” said Chief Jeremy Gaughan. “While investigations like this often take time and may not always be visible to the public, our officers and detectives are working behind the scenes every day to protect our community. We recognize the impact these crimes have had on our business owners, and we hope this development provides a measure of reassurance that those responsible are being identified and held accountable.”
