HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT INTO ILLINOIS YIELDS STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK AND ARREST
At approximately 3 a.m. Thursday, (9/18/25) a Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officer was notified that an Indiana State Police Trooper was pursuing a white Dodge Ram that had been reported stolen recently in Indianapolis, according to Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez. The Lake County police officer joined the pursuit to assist ISP on I-80 near Grant Street in Gary.
The driver of the stolen truck continued to flee at over 100 miles per hour, recklessly changing lanes with several police vehicles in pursuit.
The fleeing suspect headed north on I-294 passing 159th street where officers observed an object being tossed from the driver side window.
At Ogden Avenue, Oak Brook Police successfully deployed stop sticks, deflating a front tire on the pickup truck. The fleeing driver exited I-294 and drove east on Roosevelt Road, eventually stopping near Roosevelt Road and Harrison Street.
The driver left the pickup truck and fled north on foot on Harrison Street, eventually entering a construction zone. A Lake County police officer pursued the suspect on foot and a Hillside, Illinois police officer joined the foot chase.
Shortly afterward, 29-year-old Jose A. Herrera Zepeda was placed in police custody. He’s being held in Illinois pending extradition to Indiana where he could face multiple criminal charges.
“I’d like to thank our law enforcement partners from several police agencies in Indiana and Illinois who assisted with making this arrest,” Martinez said. “The work of these officers resolved a potentially dangerous situation with exceptional skill and coordination.”
