Cary woman, Washington man arrested after hours-long manhunt and standoff in Barrington – Shaw Local

A Washington man who police said was wanted in connection with a Chicago murder and a Cary woman were arrested Tuesday after an hours-long police manhunt and standoff in Lake Barrington, officials said.

Osceola L. Little, 38, of 6600 Gateway Terrace in Everett, Washington, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Luisa Sanchez, 22, of 28800 West South Street in Cary, was charged with obstruction of justice, aiding and abetting an escape and possession of a weapon without a license, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Officers with the Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to a hit-and-run crash at Route 14 and Pepper Road in Lake Barrington at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday, the news release said. The car involved in the crash – which police said was driven by Little – was found abandoned at a business northwest of Pepper Road at 12:35 p.m.

Officers were told Little had fled from police during a chase earlier that day and was “believed to be armed and dangerous,” Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said in the news release.

[ Read more: Chicago homicide suspect in custody after Barrington-area search, foot chase, barricade that closed Route 14 ]

Police began searching for Little. Dozens of officers, special forces and local police departments were involved. Nearby public and private schools and city governments were notified. Police received video footage from a nearby store showing a man identified by police as Little leaving the crashed car on foot with a duffel bag and a woman identified by police as Sanchez walking away with a backpack, the news release said.

Sanchez was arrested at 2:10 p.m. at a gas station near Route 14 and Kelsey Road. Police found a hidden gun in a restroom vent at the gas station. They said the gun belonged to Little and was used in the Chicago murder.

“An area stretching from Kelsey Road to the west, Route 22 to the north, Route 14 to the south and North Harbor Road to the east was systematically searched by over 10 drones, 20 canine units, an Illinois State Police aircraft, sheriff's deputies and local police departments,” Covelli said in the press release.

Little was found by police at 6:20 p.m. and “immediately ran away when confronted,” the release said. Police pursued Little on foot as he ran into an occupied industrial building in the 21900 block of Pepper Road in Lake Barrington. Officers detained Little in an office space and evacuated employees.

Sheriff's negotiators and members of the tactical response team began negotiating with Little, and he surrendered at 8:15 p.m.

Little and Sanchez were due in court Wednesday morning. The Lake County District Attorney's Office intends to file motions to detain Little and Sanchez pending trial, and additional charges are likely to be filed against Lake County, the news release said.

The Cook County District Attorney's Office and the Chicago Police Department are also expected to file further charges.

The operation was led from the sheriff's new mobile response vehicle, which allows emergency dispatch personnel to “gather better information and relay it to units on the ground more quickly,” Covelli said in the news release.

“I couldn't be prouder of my team's tireless determination during this manhunt for the fugitive,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in the release. “We were able to deploy dozens of deputies to quickly establish a perimeter, and we can't thank our city and state partners enough for their response with dozens of resources. Both suspects are now in custody, a direct result of our collective strength, negotiating skills and commitment to public safety.”

The following police departments arrived on scene to assist: Arlington Heights, Aurora, Barrington Hills, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Chicago, Cook County Sheriff's Office, Des Plaines, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Illinois State Police, Kane County Sheriff's Office, Kildeer, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Mundelein, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Tower Lakes, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Vernon Hills, Wauconda and Zion.

“The Sheriff’s Office also thanks the Salvation Army, who provided water and food to all first responders on the scene,” Covelli said in the press release.