Man Nets Multiple Felonies After Destructive Chase Through Downtown Naperville

Police said a North Aurora man is in custody after he led police on a car chase through downtown Naperville Thursday, hitting multiple vehicles and later fleeing officers on foot.

Earlier: Car Wipes Out Multiple Vehicles in Downtown Naperville During Reported Police Chase

Dwayne K. Smith, 21, of North Aurora, was arrested near Main Street and Aurora around 1 p.m. Thursday and faces numerous charges including two felony retail theft charges, reckless driving and resisting arrest, according to police. 

The pursuit began after police responded to a report of retail theft at Target, 1951 W. Jefferson Ave., around 12:40 p.m. Thursday. When police arrived to the store, the suspect's vehicle was seen traveling east on West Jefferson by another officer, according to the Naperville Police Department. 

The car then side-swiped three vehicles in a row, causing considerable damage to them in the 100 block of West Jefferson in the heart of downtown Naperville, according to witnesses. 

Witnesses said the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit a black Ford Explorer as well as a tan Toyota Camry and a Chevy sedan, both of which were traveling behind the Explorer on West Jefferson. 

After hitting the three cars, the vehicle turned south on South Main Street, where it reportedly hit another vehicle at the intersection of Main and Aurora, according to witnesses.

After the collision at Main and Aurora, police said in a release that Smith then briefly fled on foot before authorities took him into custody.

Smith was also charged with one count of retail theft Class 3 felony; one count of retail theft Class 4 felony; five counts of reckless driving; four counts of leaving the scene of an accident; resisting arrest; no valid driver's license and operating an uninsured vehicle, according to Naperville police.

The incident caused quite a scene as many shoppers out enjoying the spring weather in downtown Naperville gathered along the street to get a glimpse of the accident. Some local business owners had their doors propped open and heard the accident as it happened. 

"The noise was ridiculous," said Anderson's Two Doors East employee Sally Blackburn. "People were screaming because they were seeing it and then the noise of the metal-on-metal was really just crazy." 

After the incident, police had a portion of West Jefferson closed from South Main Street to South Webster Street as well as the intersection at Main and Aurora for about one hour.

Two vehicles with noticeable damage were being towed away from the scene shortly after 2 p.m. as city crews cleared shards of glass and debris from the street.

An employee of Elan Boutique, 143 W. Jefferson Ave., rushed out of the front door of the business after she heard tires squealing followed by the sound of an accident as the incident happened. 

"I ran out the door because I'm like, 'somebody is hitting cars!,'" the employee said. "[The car] wiped everybody out. And as soon as I heard like a 'bam, bam, bam,' the cop passed my door here, so I think he might have been in pursuit."

It is unknown at this time if any of the drivers sustained injuries as a result of the multi-vehicle crash. 

Police said Smith has seven outstanding warrants in two different counties.

In DuPage County, Smith has two failure-to-appear warrants for domestic battery and traffic offenses. In Kane County, Smith was wanted for no valid driver license, obstructing identification and two warrants for resisting a peace officer.

He was transported to DuPage County Jail.

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