Crime & Safety

Police: Downers Grove Duo Caught Driving Stolen Car after Evading Roadside Check

Vidmantas Karla, 45, and Virginijus Karla, 25, were arrested early Sunday morning by Lemont police on charges of felony vehicle theft conspiracy.

Two Downers Grove men are facing felony vehicle theft charges after being caught driving a stolen vehicle in Lemont, police said.

Vidmantas Karla, 45, and Virginijus Karla, 25, both of the 1100 block of Woodcrest Lane, were arrested around 2 a.m. in the 13600 block of Archer Avenue in Homer Glen, police said.

Lemont Police Detective Aras Jonakis said the department was conducting a roadside safety check in the 13400 block of Archer Avenue when a car driven by Virginijus Karla approached. Upon pulling into the checkpoint, the car made a sudden U-turn and drove away from the scene, Jonakis said.

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Officers immediately pursued the car, which pulled over two blocks from the checkpoint, Jonakis said.

After checking the vehicle registration, officers discovered the car had been stolen from Northfield and the registration had been stolen from Naperville, Jonakis said.

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Virginijus and Vidmantas Karla, the passenger, were taken into custody and charged with felony vehicle theft conspiracy, police said.

Both men were scheduled to appear in Will County court Monday afternoon. Bond information was not immediately available.

Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

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