On February 10, 2021 at approximately 4:00 a.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Canadian Pacific Railroad Tracks, just north of Route 173, for a train versus vehicle crash. The railroad tracks where this occurred are located west of North Kilbourne Road and east of Route 41, Unincorporated Zion.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and quickly determined the vehicle (a 2005 Toyota Sedan) struck by the train was stolen earlier in the morning during an armed robbery at a gas station in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. During the armed robbery, two male offenders, both described as being Hispanic men, approximately 5’08,” average build, wearing masks, stole the vehicle. Shots were reportedly fired during the armed robbery by one or both offenders.
The person who called 911 to report the train versus vehicle crash informed deputies that the vehicle was stuck on the railroad tracks in the 42600 block of Kilbourne Road, just prior to being hit by the train. The vehicle was not in a railroad crossing when struck, and was in an area that no vehicle should have been. The vehicle was struck by a southbound freight train and pushed for nearly one mile. Nobody was inside the vehicle when the train struck the vehicle.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies located one individual at the scene of the crash who matched the description of one of the armed robbery offenders. He was taken into custody and subsequently turned over to Pleasant Prairie Police Department. The other offender was not immediately located near the crash scene. As it was possible the second offender was in the car just prior to the car being struck, and possible he was still armed, numerous sheriff’s deputies, a sheriff’s canine team, and sheriff’s drones searched the area in an attempt to locate him. He was not located and the sheriff’s canine at the scene did not pick up the scent of the second individual during the area search. It is believed the second individual exited the vehicle somewhere following the armed robbery but prior to the crash, as there was more than an hour between the armed robbery and the crash. The second individual is no longer believed to be in the area.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.