A man is dead and a woman was questioned after a chase involving Hammond Police and a stolen U-Haul that ended up in the Little Calumet River early Wednesday morning.
Police received a license-plate reader alert around 4:10 a.m. February 21 for a stolen U-Haul within city limits, Hammond Police spokesman Lt. Steve Kellogg said in a release. They located it around 136th and Sheffield Avenue and tried to pull it over, but it fled the scene, Kellogg said.
Police continued following the U-Haul at around 30 miles per hour through the area of 130th and Indiana in Chicago, Kellogg said. When the truck approached a curve in the road, it couldn’t make the turn and went over the edge into the Little Cal, he said.
The driver jumped into the river and tried to swim away from police, Kellogg said. The Chicago Fire Department was able to retrieve the body, which has yet to be identified.
A woman with active warrants for arrests related to cocaine possession jumped out of the vehicle during the chase, Kellogg said, but officers found her and brought her in for questioning.
“Law enforcement engaged in a pursuit that concluded with the suspect fleeing into the Little Calumet River. Our officers worked tirelessly, but unfortunately, the outcome was tragic,” Kellogg said.
The Hammond Police Department is cooperating with the appropriate authorities, Kellogg said. For further information, please contact the Hammond Police Department Public Information Officer at 219-852-2949 or skellogg@hammondpolice.com.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
