Joliet crash leads to 2 drivers, 1 passenger seriously injured

A vehicle fleeing from police in Joliet had crashed into another vehicle, which led to the hospitalization of two drivers and a passenger, police said.

Mohammed Nakhleh, 31, of Palos Heights was issued a citation for failure to signal when turning and disobeying a stop sign in connection with the incident on Sunday evening, according to a statement from the Joliet Police Department.

Nakhleh was accused of crashing into another vehicle after he fled from two officers who tried to initiate a traffic stop on him, police said.

Following the two-vehicle crash, officers found what they suspected was hydrocodone pills, marijuana and ammunition inside of Nakhleh’s vehicle, police said.

The 26-year-old male driver from Villa Park and his 25-year-old female passenger from Plainfield were both taken to Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet hospital in serious condition, police said. Nakhleh was also hospitalized in serious condition as well.

The events leading to the crash began at 9:51 p.m. Sunday when an officer tried to pull over a Mercedes Benz driven by Nakhleh near Caton Farm Road and Pebble Beach Drive, police said.

The officer pursued Nakhleh when he refused to stop his vehicle but then terminated the pursuit out of safety concerns, police said.

A short time later, another officer attempted to pull over Nakhleh’s vehicle but he once again refused to stop, police said. That officer did not pursue Nakhleh.

Nakhleh was driving north of Northwest Frontage Road at a high rate of speed and then headed east on Plainfield Road, police said.

Nakhleh approached the intersection of the Interstate 55 on-ramp before he collided with a Chevrolet Equinox driven by the 26-year-old male driver, police said.

After the crash, officers approached Nakhleh and placed him custody following a brief struggle because he refused to comply with their commands, police said.