Lake County- This morning (10/21/2024) at approximately 2:15 a.m., troopers were investigating a crash eastbound on I-80 near Calumet Ave. Trooper Baumeister and Trooper Garcia had parked their police cars with their emergency lights activated in the left lane and inside shoulder, blocking those lanes for the crash scene investigation. Trooper Garcia’s Dodge Charger was parked behind Trooper Baumeister’s Dodge Durango. The two troopers were standing in front of the Durango performing field sobriety tests on a driver, when another vehicle rear-ended the Dodge Charger. This impact caused debris to also hit the Durango, damaging it. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene and continued eastbound.
Trooper Haddon located the suspect vehicle driving eastbound near the 3 mile-marker driving on 3 wheels with sparks coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then struck the median wall and became disabled. The driver exited the vehicle and went north across the westbound lanes with Trooper Haddon in foot pursuit. The suspect ran up to a Hammond Fire Battalion Chief in his marked fire vehicle and began hitting the window to get into the truck. As Trooper Haddon approached, the suspect again ran across the westbound lanes into traffic before finally stopping and being placed into custody.
The suspect, Kyle C. Barbour, 26, from Hammond, IN, was later transported to the Lake County Jail. He is preliminarily charged with the following offenses:
- O.W.I. Endangering a Person- Class A Misdemeanor
- Failure to Report a Crash- Class B Misdemeanor
- Resisting Law Enforcement- Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving Causing Property Damage- Class B Misdemeanor
The above listed charges are accusations of a crime. Final charges will be determined by the Lake County Prosecutor. All suspects are presumed to be innocent until/unless proven guilty in court. The Hammond Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Department also assisted with the investigation.