STOLEN SUV LEADS TO HIGH-SPEED CHASE AND ARREST IN GARY
GARY — A stolen SUV led officers on a dangerous high-speed pursuit early Friday morning, October 31st, 2025, before the suspect was apprehended with assistance from a Lake County Sheriff’s K9.
According to reports from both the Gary Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the case began around 12:25 a.m. when a man stopped at the Citgo gas station at 901 E. 5th Avenue in Gary. The man told police he parked his mother’s 2012 GMC Denali at pump #1, leaving the vehicle running and unlocked while he went inside the store. Moments later, he saw his vehicle being driven away southbound.
The SUV, contained approximately $600 cash, Nike Air Max shoes, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Surveillance footage reviewed by a Detective showed an unknown man wearing a blue and red hoodie, black joggers, and white gym shoes walking up from the west side of the gas station before entering the Denali and driving off.
Later that morning, around 3:47 a.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Officer received an automated license plate reader alert showing the stolen GMC traveling in Gary. Officers spotted the SUV moments later near 33rd Avenue and Broadway and attempted a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as 18-year-old Vincent M. Sanders, refused to pull over and sped off.
Officers reported the vehicle fled northbound on Broadway at a high rate of speed, ignoring lights and sirens, weaving through multiple residential streets including 24th Avenue, Delaware Street, and Maryland Street, before cutting through alleys and grassy areas to evade capture.
Officers eventually performed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) near 19th and Broadway, disabling the SUV. Officers surrounded the vehicle and ordered Sanders to surrender. When he refused repeated commands to show his hands, a K9 Officer deployed his police dog, Hammer, to assist.
According to reports, Sanders continued resisting and even grabbed the dog’s snout, prompting officers to intervene. He sustained bite injuries to his stomach and left arm during the apprehension.
Medics from the Gary Fire Department responded to treat Sanders at the scene before transporting him to Northlake Methodist Hospital for further medical evaluation. After being medically cleared, he was booked into the Lake County Jail.
A search of the recovered Denali revealed multiple pairs of shoes, personal clothing, and a plastic bag containing 54 grams of marijuana, which tested positive.
Sanders was charged with:
Level 6 Felony – Resisting Law
Enforcement-Defendant uses a vehicle.
Level 6 Felony – Auto Theft
Class A Misdemeanor – Striking a Law
Enforcement Animal
Class B Misdemeanor – Possession of
Marijuana
