Prosecutors: Darien home invasion suspect flees with cell phone, sparking high-speed police chase, standoff

A DuPage County judge Thursday ordered a man held in custody after he allegedly broke into a Darien home and fled with the injured homeowner's cellphone, sparking a high-speed police chase and a standoff that ended with his arrest in the village of Homer Glen earlier this week.

Michael 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.

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 of his home, according to the statement.

Lahey then allegedly hurled a hunk of broken glass at the homeowner, causing a “significant” laceration to the man's arm and a cut on his torso, the statement said. Lahey — who had burst into the home through the smashed out front window — also threw a stool at the victim before speeding away in a Ford Bronco SUV with the homeowner’s cell phone, according to the statement.

The homeowner — who escaped by running out the back door — was taken to a local hospital for a laceration to his left upper arm, a puncture wound to his left torso and bruising to his stomach.

Responding Darien police officers spotted Lahey fleeing in the SUV, sparking a sparking a high-speed, 11 mile-long pursuit of Lahey, who jumped a curb and plowed through a parking lot, reaching speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone, according to the statement.

Additionally, Lahey sped through a construction zone while workers were on duty and drove into oncoming traffic on multiple occasions, according to the statement.

Officers terminated the chase out of safety concerns after entering Will County but at some point, Lahey also holed himself up at a residence near his home in the 13200 block of Maverick Trail.

Will County sheriff’s deputies responded to that address around 4 p.m. to help other police with a “barricaded subject,” the office said on social media. The standoff, caused officials to issue a shelter-in-place, was lifted about 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Around 7 p.m., members of DuPage and Will County SWAT teams went into to Lahey’s home and while executing a search warrant, took Lahey into custody, according to the statement.

“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,” said Berlin in the statement.

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