Portage police took two Illinois men into custody Sunday after one of them was found tampering with vehicles behind a chain link fence and the other was apprehended after striking a home in New Chicago while a third man remains at large.

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, Portage police responded to TLG Peterbilt, 5900 Southport Road, for an activated alarm, according to a release.

A security monitoring service reported to Porter County Central Dispatch Center that they were viewing two people on the property who had cut a hole in the chain link fence that surrounds the business and the pair were tampering with vehicles in the lot.

When police arrived, the two men split up and fled. The first man, William Oiler, 40, of Blue Island, was taken into custody minutes after being tracked by a K-9 team. He had an active warrant for his arrest out of Illinois for parole violation on an original charge of aggravated battery, police said.

The K-9 team attempted to track the second man but were unsuccessful and police said he remains at large.

Evidence recovered from the scene indicated that the two men were in the area to steal tires off of the various tractor-trailers in the lot, according to police. The business owner reported the two men caused around $1,500 in damages to the business and vehicles.

While officers were still looking for the second man, a Portage officer saw a white 2016 Ford box truck with Illinois license plates drive into the area traveling westbound on the dead-end road. The officer turned his vehicle around to follow when the box truck suddenly turned around and began fleeing before the officer activated emergency light or sirens.

The officer provided the license plate to dispatchers who confirmed the truck had been reported stolen out of Illinois.

The officer, with emergency lights and sirens activated, pursued the truck from the area of Ameriplex Drive and Indiana 249, onto westbound Interstate 94, then southbound Indiana 51. The truck then turned west on U.S. 6.

As the man fled west, he lost control of the truck in the area of Illinois Street in New Chicago. The truck left the roadway an came to rest against the corner of a home just to the west of the intersection.

Police took the driver, identified as Michael Coffelt, 55, of Harvey, into custody. He reportedly told police that he was the driver for the other two suspects involved in the attempted theft.

He claimed to strike his head during the collision with the house and was taken to St. Mary Medical Center before being medically cleared for transport to Porter County Jail on felony charges of auto theft and resisting law enforcement.

Police transported Oiler to jail on a felony charge of theft and misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief, as well as the outstanding warrant.