One Merrillville officer suffered a broken wrist and two others were injured Tuesday morning during a pursuit with a suicidal man trying to drive into oncoming traffic on the Indiana Toll Road.
Officers responded around 8:40 a.m. on Dec. 3 to a stolen vehicle call in the 1300 block of E. 83rd Avenue, Merrillville Police Chief Kosta Nuses said in a release. The caller told police the man who took the car indicated he was suicidal, Nuses said.
Officers located the vehicle on Broadway shortly after and attempted to stop it but the man refused to stop. He fled to Interstate 65 North and got onto the Indiana Toll Road before exiting on Broadway and reentering the toll road heading westbound in the eastbound lane, Nuses said.
Nuses told the officers to stop the vehicle before the man crashed into oncoming motorists, so three officers in three separate police vehicles struck the car and ended the chase. The officers were injured, but neither the man nor motorists on the toll road were hurt.
“We had to take immediate action so nobody would get hurt,” Nuses said in the release. “This wasn’t just a regular pursuit — this guy had intentions of hurting people and himself.”
Officers took the man into custody but haven’t filed charges yet, Nuses added.
The officers’ response was praised by town leaders, who commended them for risking their own safety to protect others.
“Our Police Department has demonstrated their unwavering dedication and commitment to the safety and well-being of the Town of Merrillville,” Town Council Vice President Rhonda Neal said in the release. “We deeply appreciate their hard work, bravery, and steadfast efforts in protecting our community during such challenging situations.”
Other officers, including Nuses, will step in to fill patrol shifts while the injured officers are sidelined, he said; the town will also rely on mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments to assist as needed, but the missing officers will likely be tough for a department that’s already understaffed.
“You’re going to have at least three officers that are out,” he said. “I have probably three totaled cars, so this is going to be a huge hurdle because we don’t have any extras, we don’t have any extra officers.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
