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4 women charged after retail theft in Villa Park, Illinois, high-speed chase

Four women have been charged with leading police on a high-speed chase after stealing from a retail store in the west Chicago suburb of Villa Park.

Deondra McReynolds, 23, of Chicago's Grand Crossing neighborhood, was ordered detained by DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden on charges of burglary, retail theft, and aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer.

Three other women — Heaven Cannon-Triplett, 22, of Broadview; Fontazia Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago's South Austin neighborhood; and Tandalaya Pettis, 26, also of Chicago's South Austin neighborhood — were each charged with burglary and retail theft. None were detained.

At 11:53 a.m. Tuesday, Villa Park police were called by the loss prevention officer at the Burlington store at 174 Roosevelt Rd. about a retail theft. Police spotted a getaway car, a red Nissan, pulling out of the parking lot and turning onto Roosevelt Road.

The driver of the Nissan, later determined to be McReynolds, sped off west on Roosevelt Road, authorities said. As police pursued her, she blew through several stop signs, drove twice into oncoming traffic to pass slower cars, and reaches speeds of 113 mph on Roosevelt Road, authorities said.

McReynolds later got onto the eastbound Eisenhower Expressway, where police abandoned the chase due to safety concerns. But Oak Brook police and the Chicago police Helicopter Unit found the Nissan in an alley in Chicago — where the four young women were seen unloading bags of merchandise, authorities said.

There was a brief foot chase before all four women were arrested. Police said they all walked into the Villa Park Burlington store and stole items worth a total of about $1,472.

 "The allegations that Ms. McReynolds sped down Roosevelt Road, one of the busiest roads in the County, in the middle of the afternoon during the busy holiday shopping season at approximately 100 m.p.h. are outrageous," DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin said. "Ms. McReynolds' alleged actions endangered not only her life and the lives of her passengers, but also the lives of the officers involved and countless innocent motorists and pedestrians. We are all very grateful that no one was injured, or worse, in this incident."

All four defendants are due back in court Jan. 20, before DuPage County Judge Brian Telander.

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