A man accused of breaking into a home in Darien then leading police on a high-speed chase must remain in custody, a DuPage County judge ordered Thursday.
Michael Joseph Lahey, 32, appeared before DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden, who denied pre-trial release for Lahey, who was charged with two counts of home invasion, aggravated fleeing and eluding and misdemeanor theft, according to a statement from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
During the break-in on Tuesday, prosecutors said, Lahey injured the homeowner and then took the man’s cellular phone. He then fled, sparking that high-speed chase, which ended with a standoff and eventually his arrest his arrest in the village of Homer Glen.
Lahey, of the 13000 block of Maverick Trail in the village of Homer Glen, is due back in court on Aug. 31, according to the statement.
The situation unfolded about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 1400 block of Sequoia Drive, when a Darien homeowner called police after hearing the sound of breaking-glass and found Lahey standing outside his home, according to the statement.
Lahey allegedly hurled a hunk of broken glass at the homeowner, causing a “significant” cut on the man’s arm and another cut on his torso, the prosecutor’s statement said. Lahey — who had burst into the home through the broken front window — also threw a stool at the victim before speeding away in a Ford Bronco with the homeowner’s cell phone, according to the statement.
The homeowner — who had fled out the back door — was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Responding Darien police officers spotted Lahey’s vehicle, leading to a high-speed, 11-mile pursuit. Lahey jumped a curb and plowed through a parking lot, reaching speeds in excess of 75 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to the statement.
Additionally, Lahey sped through a construction zone while workers were on duty and drove into oncoming traffic many times , according to the statement.
Officers ended the chase out of safety concerns after entering Will County but a short while later, Lahey holed himself up at his own home in the 13,000 block of Maverick Trail, according to Darien Police Deputy Chief Austin Jump.
Will County sheriff’s deputies responded to that home around 4 p.m. to help other police with a “barricaded subject,” the office said on social media.
About 7 p.m. officers obtained a search warrant for his home, and began hours-long negotiations to try to end the situation peacefully, Jump said.
But Lahey would not come out willingly. DuPage and Will County SWAT teams eventuallty breached the single-family home and arrested Lahey at 11:20 p.m., Jump said.
Lahey, the only person inside the house, declined medical attention and a shelter-in-place for the area was lifted about 11 p.m., officials said.
Asked about a possible motive, Jump indicated it was more than just the phone theft, but otherwise declined to elaborate.
“The type of aggressive, unpredictable and violent behavior that shattered an innocent man’s sense of safety and security in his own home and sent him to the hospital with serious injuries, as alleged in this case, has no place in civilized society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlins said in the statement. “The victim in this case has a long road to recovery ahead of him and I wish him well as he recovers both physically and emotionally.”