Northwest Indiana- Halloween night proved to be a busy night for Lowell Troopers. It began at 9:30 p.m., when Trooper Haddon located a stolen vehicle, a silver Nissan Versa, in the area of 25th Ave. and Clark Rd. in Gary. Trooper Haddon attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop and fled northbound on Clark Rd. The pursuit continued to 15th Ave. where the vehicle crashed, and the two occupants fled on foot. A foot pursuit was initiated; however, the suspects were able to elude capture. The vehicle was impounded, and the investigation is ongoing.
At approximately 1:20 a.m. Saturday morning, Trooper Haddon responded to a crash on I-65 near Ridge Road. The crash involved a white Hyundai SUV that had struck a semi, then hit the median wall where it became disabled. The driver of the SUV had fled the scene of the crash and was not located when Troopers arrived. It was later discovered that the Hyundai had been reported stolen out of Merrillville approximately 20 minutes prior to the reported crash. Merrillville Police are investigating the auto theft.
The night wasn't over for Trooper Haddon. Later in the night, he located another stolen vehicle traveling eastbound on I-94 near the Portage exit. Troopers followed the vehicle to the Chesterton exit where a traffic stop was initiated, but the driver failed to stop resulting in a vehicle pursuit. The pursuit continued eastbound on I-94 into LaPorte County where it exited at the 40 mile-marker, which is the South Bend/LaPorte exit ramp. The suspect vehicle failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into a guardrail, coming to a rest in the median of I-94. Four suspects were then taken into custody, two of which were juveniles. All four suspects were treated and released for minor injuries before the juveniles were released to their respective guardians. The two adults were taken into custody.
The driver, James Johnson, 18, from South Bend, IN, was transported to the Porter County Jail. He is preliminarily charged with the following:
- Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle- Level 6 Felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement Causing Risk of Serious Bodily Injury- Level 6 Felony
- Criminal Recklessness- Class B Misdemeanor
- Auto Theft- Level 6 Felony
- Aggressive Driving in a Work Zone- Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
The other adult male passenger, Tyler L. Sykes, 18, from South Bend, IN, was also transported to the Porter County Jail and is charged with the following:
- Criminal Trespass to a Vehicle- Level 6 Felony
- Possession of Marijuana- Class B Misdemeanor
All suspects are presumed to be innocent until/unless proven guilty in court.