Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a report of a wrong-way driver on Interstate 88, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office press release.
On June 28, at approximately 1:06 p.m., the office received a report of a wrong-way driver heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 88. The suspect car collided with another vehicle before exiting the highway at the Franklin Road emergency access point in Lee County.
The Illinois State Police discovered the suspect car after it fled the interstate when Lee County deputies attempted to stop it. The vehicle evaded the Illinois State Police, and efforts to stop it were halted owing to safety concerns. The Rock Falls Police Department reported around the same time that they had responded earlier in the day to do a welfare check on the suspected driver. The suspect vehicle was a gray 2025 Hyundai, and the driver was identified as Samara Russell, 37, of Chicago.
During the incident, Lee County telecommunicators got many 911 calls reporting a lady matching Russell’s description attempting to enter occupied automobiles while brandishing a firearm on Illinois Route 38, just west of Franklin Grove. Deputies and helping officers discovered the suspicious car on Illinois Route 38 near Detour Road in rural Lee County. They repeatedly ordered Russell to evacuate the truck, but she resisted. Russell exited the truck after several minutes and pointed a revolver at Lee County deputies and Illinois State troopers, who were a safe distance away, according to the release.
Russell allegedly continued to ignore commands before heading toward a line of occupied automobiles west of the site, still clutching the weapon. An Amboy Police Department officer who was aiding in the situation tackled Russell before she could reach the automobiles. She was taken into custody and sent to OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center for a mental health assessment.
Russell received an arrest warrant on June 29 for the following charges:
- 3 counts of attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking, a class 1 felony
- 2 counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer, a class 2 felony
- 2 counts of aggravated assault to a peace officer, a class 4 felony
- 2 counts of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, a class 4 felony
- 2 counts of resisting a peace officer, a class A misdemeanor
- Aggravated assault, a class A misdemeanor
- Speeding – 26 to 34 mph over, a class B misdemeanor
Russell will be kept at the Lee County Jail after being released from a mental health facility, pending a detention hearing. The Illinois State Police, the Amboy Police Department, and the Dixon Police Department all aided throughout the event.
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