New Lenox, IL Police Shoot out Thursday night, December 7, 2006.
Dash cam video shows an officer involved in a traffic result that resulted in a shoot in a driveway on the northeast side of Lincoln-Way Central High School on Thursday December 7, 2006.
A vehicle pulled over after an unusually long travel for a traffic stop. The vehicle had Louisiana license plates. The police light up the emergency lights at about 1:10 elapsed time. The offender’s vehicle is stopped at about 1:54 elapsed time. The offender shoots at about 2:12 elapsed time, immediately after the police officer tells the offender to get out of the car. The officer immediately ran back to his vehicle, called for backup and returned fire. First approaching sirens from backup units are heard at about 5:05 elapsed time. A second police officer his hit by offender’s gunfire at about 5:30 elapsed time — immediately after he arrives on the scene. The offender gets out of his vehicle at about 8:34 elapsed time, apparently after being hit by gunfire from police. Over 100 shots were fire during the shootout.
Investigators say the driver — Dale John Rodeghero, 58, of Louisiana — refused to stop at first but eventually pulled into driveway of Lincoln-Way Central High School. Two New Lenox police officers were shot, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries, and the gunman was eventually killed after a prolonged shootout.
The entire incident was caught on video from before the traffic stop at Lincoln-Way Central High School until the offender left his vehicle and was shot and killed. The New Lenox Police Chief Daniel Martin said the shooting of the suspect was justified.
Students were in the school when the traffic stop and shootout occurred.
Police kept some pedestrians or drivers away from the scene.
The injuries to the two officers were not considered life-threatening.
