POLICE: Robbery, Then High-Speed Chase Ends in Elburn

An Elburn man was taken into custody Friday afternoon following a high-speed chase that reportedly started in Indiana and ended inside the man's garage at home, police said.

David Ziesel, 32, was charged with Aggravated Fleeing and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, a Class 4 felony, and Resisting a Peace Officer, A Class A misdemeanor. He was apprehended at his home on the 1100 block of Wise Street in Elburn, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office.

Ziesel was turned over to detectives from the LaPorte County, IN, Sheriff’s Office in connection to a bank robbery that took place in Northwest Indiana at about 2 p.m. on Friday.

A man reportedly held up a bank in LaPorte, IN, and fled to Elburn, according to media reports. Before he got there, he apparently threw money out of his getaway car while on the highway, according to CBS 2 Chicago.

The suspect got to I-88 and traveled north on Route 31. Witnesses saw a series of police vehicles and two overhead helicopters go west on Main past sometime after 3 p.m. Friday, likely in pursuit of the car last spotted in North Aurora. The getaway car was described as a tan Chevy Suburban SUV, according to police.

Witnesses did not actually spot the SUV east of Randall by the high school, but it eventually reappeared on Main Street west of Randall. The chase continued further west into the county, police said. in Batavia is one mile west of the Main Street-Randall Road intersection.

Grace McWayne Principal Kevin Skomer at 3:25 p.m. Friday began receiving reports about a police incident in the area. He confirmed that these reports were in regards to the long-distance car chase.

"Students were held in classrooms until it was officially confirmed that no there were no safety issues for our students," Skomer said in an online message to parents. "By 3:34 (p.m.), it was confirmed that there was no danger and students were released."

A man reportedly held up the LaPorte Savings Bank in LaPorte County, located in northwest Indiana, the CBS report said. He then escaped in the SUV and headed into Illinois on I-80.

The man proceeded to take I-294 north and then got onto I-88 heading west, the Daily Herald reported.

This local portion of the chase account is from the Kane County Sheriff's Office:

April 20 Chase Timeline (Kane County)

3:14 p.m.—Kane County Sheriff’s Deputies were informed of a vehicle pursuit traveling west on I-88 near Farnsworth Avenue in Aurora.

The vehicle, a 1999 Chevy Suburban, was wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Indiana. The vehicle exited I-88 at Route 31 in North Aurora, where police lost sight of the vehicle.

3:18 p.m.—A Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted the suspected vehicle traveling west on Main Street near Deerpath Road in Batavia Township. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle. It failed to stop and fled west on Main Street at a high rate of speed. The vehicle continued to flee and eventually turned onto Oakwood Drive off of Hughes Road near Elburn.

3:26 p.m.— The driver, the car's sole occupant, exited the vehicle as it drove onto a yard. He then ran on foot through several backyards.

Eventually the man ran around to the front of a residence and into an open garage, where he was taken into custody by members of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Forest Preserve Police Department and Elburn Police Department.

The garage he ran into was his home at 1100 block of Wise Street in Elburn.

Ziesel asked to say goodbye to his wife inside the home, but authorities refused to grant him this request, Lt. Pat Gengler told the Kane County Chronicle.

Ziesel was examined by medical personnel at the scene but signed a medical release and was transported to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

No injuries were reported during the entire incident, the Chronicle's story said.

Members of the FBI and LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office are conducting the investigation into the bank robbery in Indiana.

The charges against Ziesel are not proof of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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