Illinois State Police special agents made 17 arrests in the first three months of this year after investigations into Chicago area expressway violence.

Charges in the arrests range from vehicular hijacking to murder.

“While we’ve already made arrests in Chicago area expressway shootings that happened during the first three months of 2024, we’ve also made arrests for shootings that occurred in 2023 and 2022, as well as arrests for other violent crimes on Chicago area expressways,” said State Police Director Brendan Kelly. “Although time passes, sometimes months and even years,” ISP never stops investigating for as long as we have new evidence and leads in the case.”

Charges during the first quarter of this year include two counts of murder, eight counts of attempted murder, four counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (motor vehicle), and one count of vehicular hijacking.

The charges were the culmination of work by several ISP divisions and includes special agents, Troop 3 patrol officers, Statewide Anti-Violence Enforcement officers, Crime Scene investigators and forensic staff.

State Police arrests in Chicago area expressway shootings so far this year were:

• 3: Aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in December 2022
• 8: Attempted murder, a Class X felony, in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in November
• 9: Attempted murder in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in December
• 18: Aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with an expressway shooting in August
• 26: Aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony, in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in December
• 1: Battery with a deadly weapon (motor vehicle), a Class 3 felony, in connection with an incident in July
• 16: Vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony, and failure to report a personal injury crash, a Class 2 felony, in connection with a Feb. 15 incident
• 24: Two counts of first-degree murder, a Class M felony, in connection with an expressway shooting in August
• March 1: Discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting that day.
• March 5: Attempted murder in connection with an expressway shooting in March 2023
• March 7: Attempted murder in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting March 5
• March 19: Three attempted murder charges in connection with road-rage expressway shootings in January
• March 22: First-degree murder in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in March
• March 28: Aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with a road-rage expressway shooting in March

Class 1 felonies are punishable by 15-30 years in prison. Class X felonies are punishable by a mandatory six to 30 years in prison.

Class 2 felonies are punishable by three to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Class 3 felonies are punishable by five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Class M felonies are punishable by 20 years to life in prison.

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com