Three people from Grand Rapids, Michigan, are in custody after a pursuit with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department that started Tuesday night on Interstate 80 and ended in the front yard of a Highland home, police said.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, an officer with the sheriff’s department was made aware of a Genesis SUV with a Florida license plate that had been reported stolen that was traveling westbound on I-80 near Ripley Street, according to a release from the sheriff’s department.
The officer observed the vehicle near I-80 and Cline Avenue and followed it. As the Genesis exited onto Kennedy Avenue, the officer activated his emergency lights and the driver of the SUV began to flee at a high rate of speed, police said.
The officer pursued the SUV and observed it drive through the yards of several homes, according to the release. The officer attempted a technique to stop the vehicle safely and a Hammond Police officer deployed stop sticks, deflating two tires on the SUV, but it continued to flee.
The SUV eventually drove through the front yard of a home in the 2500 block of Martha Street in Highland and came to a stop.
The driver fled on foot into a wooded area. The Lake County police officer initiated a foot pursuit and later deployed a stun gun and placed the driver into custody. Two passengers were placed into custody by Hammond Police officers. All three occupants of the SUV were medically cleared by paramedics.
The three people taken into custody are identified as two males, ages 25 and 51, and a female, 22. The younger male has been identified as the driver and may face criminal charges including vehicular resisting and possession of a stolen auto, police said.
Police did not release their names and it’s not immediately clear if they have been formally charged.
The incident remains under investigation.
