A man is in custody and facing criminal charges after crashing into a Lake County Sheriff patrol car during a pursuit in a stolen SUV Wednesday afternoon.
A Lake County Police officer at around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 1 attempted a traffic stop on a Honda Pilot flagged by a license plate reader at 61st Avenue and Marcella Boulevard in Hobart as stolen, Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Pamela Jones said in a release Wednesday evening. The driver backed into the police officer’s patrol vehicle and headed down 61st Avenue toward Interstate 65 North, she said.
As several police units joined in the pursuit, the fleeing driver hit a patrol vehicle attempting to stop him a second time on I-65 and eventually exited onto eastbound Ridge Road, Jones said. Another officer performed a precision immobilization technique to stop the SUV, which struck a parked pickup truck and finally stopped.
No one was hurt but two police patrol units were damaged, Jones said.
The suspect is facing pending criminal charges which could include auto theft, fleeing law enforcement, battery with a deadly weapon and reckless driving. The incident remains under investigation, Jones said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.