Obregon stole vehicle, fled to Illinois, believed shot before capture

Sheriff David Beth at Tuesday’s press conference after the capture of Andrew Obregon.

Homicide suspect Andrew Obregon was captured Tuesday in Illinois after one last chase that again started near his home in Brighton.

“It’s over,” said Sheriff David Beth at a press conference in Kenosha this evening. “The Andy Obregon issue is over as far as catching him. We couldn’t be any more excited.”

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has been spearheading an intense search for Obregon, a suspect in the homicide of Tywon Anderson, 37, of Kenosha, since he led police on a high speed chase through Paris and into Racine County on Oct 2. He again led deputies on a chase overnight on Oct 3 into Oct. 4 after a smash and grab burglary at one convenience store and an armed robbery at another. He was sighted again on Oct. 6. In all of those cases Obregon ultimately escaped efforts to capture him.

Today’s encounter started again in Brighton, said Beth. A 59-year-old woman was checking  on the vacant home owned by her father located near Highway JB and Highway 75 at about 2:50 p.m. They talked for a while and then Obregon punched her in the face and took her Chevrolet Spark and fled.

The woman was ultimately transported to a Milwaukee hospital via Flight for Life medical transport helicopter, Beth said.

Obregon is believed to have fled south on Highway 83 toward Illinois, where he crossed the border. The KCSD got out a description of the vehicle through law enforcement channels and the media and the car was sighted in the Zion area.

Obregon started heading back to the state line on Lewis Avenue, eventually leaving the car and fleeing on foot. At some point, Beth said, a Lake County police dog and a Kenosha County police dog were released to pursue Obregon.

Obregon was injured on one arm. Beth said his information was that it was from a gunshot, but he acknowledged that it might also be from the dogs. Regardless, Obregon was treated and released from an Illinois hospital and transported to jail there.

At the capture scene, Obregon recognized one KCSD deputy and used his name, Beth said. Word of his capture was received by Beth at about 4 p.m.

With Obregon in custody, KCSD investigators can now begin to work in earnest on the homicide investigation of which Obregon was the main focus, Beth said. He has said previously that he believes Anderson’s death was “a payback” for a robbery of an Obregon relative.

“We still don’t have all of the pieces put together,” Beth said. “I can’t wait until our investigators start talking to him.”

Beth had praise for the media in helping to get information about the case out to the public and especially for the many law enforcement officers who helped on the case, including the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, the Kenosha Police Department, the Pleasant Prairie Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

It is not known yet when Obregon might be extradited to Wisconsin to face charges.

With Obregon in custody, Beth said the community is feeling relief, as expressed to him by numerous text messages and social media “blowing up.”

“Everyone can sleep better tonight,” Beth said.

Here is video of the press conference: