Woman charged with fleeing police after crashing car in Oak Brook: prosecutors

A motion was granted Friday to detain pre-trial an Arlington Heights woman accused of fleeing from police and crashing her car after her co-defendant allegedly stole mail from multiple mailboxes in an Oak Brook neighborhood and then fled on foot.

Tiffany Main, 32, of the 2100 block of S. Arlington Heights Road, is charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding and one count of misdemeanor driving while license revoked, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

Main’s co-defendant, Patryk Zubrzcki, 41, of the 2900 block of Elm Street, River Grove, is charged with one count of possession of methamphetamine, three counts of identity theft and one count of misdemeanor fleeing and eluding, according to the release.

Zubrzcki was released following his court appearance as the charges against him are non-detainable.

About 1:44 a.m. Jan. 9, Oak Brook police responded to the Timber Trails subdivision regarding a suspended license plate on a vehicle in the area. One of the officers entered the subdivision while the other remained at the sole entrance/exit.

One of the officers located the suspect’s vehicle parked on Timber Trail Drive. When the officer drove past the vehicle, the driver, later determined to be Zubrzcki, turned the vehicle on, drove toward and then passed the officer, who activated his emergency lights and siren, according to the release.

Instead of pulling over, Zubrzcki drove toward the subdivision entrance but turned around when he saw the second officer stationed there. He briefly drove through the neighborhood before exiting the vehicle and fleeing on foot. He was arrested following a brief foot pursuit.

Police found Zubrzcki in possession of approximately 3.7 grams of Methamphetamine.

After Zubrzcki exited the vehicle, Main moved from the front passenger seat to the driver’s seat and drove toward the neighborhood exit, according to the release.

Main drove over spike strips at the exit, deflating the right rear tire of the vehicle and fled the area. Main continued to flee police and at times drove on the wrong side of the road. At one point, Main slammed on her brakes, causing the trailing squad car to strike the back of her vehicle, according to the release.

Main again drove over spike strips, deflating the remaining three tires of the vehicle, yet continued to drive on four deflated tires until she crashed her vehicle into a raised cement median at 22nd Street and Butterfield Road, authorities said.

After the crash, Main exited the vehicle and began to walk away. When given commands to stop walking away, Main began running. She was arrested following a brief foot pursuit, according to the release.

Police allegedly found multiple pieces of mail with the names and addresses of residents on Timber Trails Drive as well as stolen mail with addresses in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights and Bensenville, according to the release.

“Judge Dieden’s order to detain Ms. Main pending trial sends the message that in DuPage County we take crimes that endanger public safety very seriously,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The allegations that Ms. Main twice drove over spike strips, sped away from police on four flat tires, crashed her car into a median and then attempted to flee on foot are outrageous. The type of conduct alleged in this case is extremely dangerous and puts not only the driver at risk, but also endangers the lives of the police officers involved and the general public.”

“These arrests are a great example of our officers keeping our residents safe through technology, teamwork and pro-activity,” Oak Brook Chief of Police Brian Strockis said in the release. “If you come to Oak Brook with the intention of committing a crime you should absolutely expect to be actively pursued, arrested and prosecuted.”

The next court appearance for both defendants is scheduled for Feb. 3.