(Kenosha County Sheriff)
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. – A Racine teen is facing serious felony charges after allegedly leading deputies on a dangerous, high-speed chase through Kenosha County and into Illinois earlier this week.
Preston Wayne Gandy, 17, was booked into custody Friday at 1:10 p.m. after Court Commissioner William Michel II issued a $50,000 felony arrest warrant earlier this morning at the request of the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon in the intake courtroom.
According to the criminal complaint, the pursuit began around 1:07 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, when Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy C. Leyden attempted to stop a white Chrysler 300 driving recklessly northbound on Highway 31 near the 4500 block in the Village of Somers. The vehicle, which had dark tinted windows and mismatched license plates, reached speeds over 120 mph and repeatedly “blacked out” — disabling its lights — to evade law enforcement.
As the pursuit continued, the suspect vehicle ran a red light at Highway 31 and County Highway E, then sped westbound past Somers Elementary School in a 35-mph zone while reaching speeds of approximately 100 mph. The chase continued through rural intersections and onto Interstate 94, where the vehicle again exceeded 120 mph and endangered numerous other drivers by weaving across all four lanes.
Deputies deployed spike strips near the 7500 block of I-94, striking the front passenger tire. Despite the damage, the Chrysler continued southbound on the interstate, shedding debris, and later exited at Highway 165. The suspect drove into the opposite lanes of traffic multiple times, including a blind “S” curve, and later avoided a second set of spike strips by swerving into the wrong lane on Highway 45.
After crossing the Illinois state line, the chase was terminated by deputies, but the vehicle was later located by an IDOT worker in the Gurnee Mills area. The Chrysler was found hidden behind an AutoZone, and three suspects fled on foot but were quickly detained by Gurnee police. Officers recovered a black face mask and sweatshirt from Gandy, which matched the descriptions provided by eyewitnesses inside the vehicle.
According to the complaint, one occupant showed deputies a Snapchat video placing himself in the passenger seat. The rear passenger initially denied knowing the other two individuals but later admitted he was inside the Chrysler and said the driver had worn a purple face mask.
Gandy declined to speak with deputies and invoked his right to remain silent. DNA swabs were taken from the vehicle’s steering wheel and exterior door handle.
He is charged with two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of fleeing or eluding an officer. If convicted on all counts, Gandy faces up to 31 years in prison.
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8 Responses
If someone’s friends or family were maimed/killed by someone using a motor vehicle like this they’d for sure think of it as a whole lot more than “recklessly endangering safety”
Attempted Murder – multiple.
That’s racist.
This guy is heading down the criminal career path for sure! Keep him off our streets!
Its in the bloodline…