Two juveniles in a car reported stolen in Chicago led Portage police on a pursuit late Wednesday morning before crashing into a cement truck and being seriously injured, according to Portage Police, who said each juvenile had a semi-automatic pistol and marijuana was found in the car.
Around 11 a.m. on March 27, a Portage officer was on routine patrol on the city’s northwest side when he received notification from the Flock Safety license plate reader system that a stolen black 2020 Hyundai Elantra bearing Illinois license plates was in the area, according to a release from Sgt. Rob Maynard, public information officer for the Portage Police Department.
The officer found the vehicle on County Line Road near Oak Avenue. When the officer attempted to make a traffic stop, the driver of the stolen vehicle initiated a pursuit. The pursuit turned westbound onto U.S. 12 and continued until the intersection of U.S. 20/Melton Road. The suspect vehicle then traveled eastbound on U.S. 20.
Portage Police set up stop-sticks just east of Indiana 249 to end the pursuit but as the suspect vehicle neared the intersection, it crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the midsection of a cement truck stopped on the north shoulder facing west.
The cement truck driver, 43, said he saw the approaching police lights and pulled to the shoulder and had come to a complete stop before the collision. The cement truck driver reported minor bruising and did not require EMS transport for his injury.
Police apprehended the driver and the passenger of the Hyundai. Neither suspect has been identified but it is believed they are both juveniles, police said.
The suspects sustained life-threatening injuries during the collision and were transported to separate area trauma centers via helicopter. One suspect was flown directly from the scene and the other a short time later from a local hospital.
After being removed from the vehicle, each suspect was found with a loaded semi-automatic pistol in their waistband and an amount of marijuana was recovered from inside the passenger compartment.
The Hyundai had been reported stolen through the Chicago Police Department on March 26 and evidence from a separate carjacking later the same day in Chicago also was recovered from inside the vehicle.
The driver faces possible charges of fleeing law enforcement in a motor vehicle; unlawful carrying of a handgun; possession of a stolen vehicle; reckless driving; and possession of marijuana.
The passenger faces possible charges of unlawful carrying of a handgun; unlawful entry of a motor vehicle; and possession of marijuana.
The Gary Police Department, Indiana State Police, Burns Harbor Police Department, Portage Fire Department, Lutheran Air and Precision Towing assisted.
