During the incident, the suspect vehicle sideswiped another vehicle before exiting the interstate at the Franklin Road emergency access point in Lee County. While Lee County Deputies were responding, the Illinois State Police located the suspect vehicle after it exited the interstate and attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle fled from the Illinois State Police, and efforts to stop the vehicle were terminated due to safety concerns.
At approximately the same time, the Rock Falls Police Department advised that they had responded earlier in the day to conduct a welfare check involving the suspected driver. The suspect vehicle was identified as a gray 2025 Hyundai, and the driver was identified as Samara P. Russell, age 37, of Chicago. As the incident continued, Lee County Telecommunicators began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting that a female matching Russell’s description was attempting to gain access to occupied vehicles while brandishing a handgun along Illinois Route 38 just west of Franklin Grove.
Deputies and assisting officers located the suspect vehicle on Illinois Route 38 near Detour Road in rural Lee County. Deputies issued repeated commands for Russell to exit the vehicle, but she refused to comply. After several minutes, Russell exited the vehicle and pointed a handgun at the Lee County Deputies and Illinois State Troopers who were positioned a safe distance away. Russell continued to disregard commands and then began running toward a line of occupied vehicles west of the scene while still holding the handgun. At that time, an officer with the Amboy Police Department, who was assisting at the scene, tackled Russell before she could reach the vehicles. She was taken into custody and was transported to OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.Â
On June 29th, an arrest warrant was issued for Samara Russell 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
When Samara Russell is released from a mental health facility, she will be detained at the Lee County Jail pending a detention hearing. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Illinois State Police, the Amboy Police Department, and the Dixon Police Department during this incident.
