Hammond Man Charged After 100+ MPH Police Pursuit Ends In Crash, Foot Chase Through Wicker Park
Artavius Jerome Drew, age 22, of Hammond, is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after a traffic stop in Schererville on January 26 allegedly turned into a multi-agency pursuit through Griffith, Highland, and Munster that ended with a crash into a fire hydrant, a foot chase through Wicker Park.
According to court documents, at approximately 9:39 p.m., an officer observed a 2023 Mercedes C300 traveling northbound near the 1400 block of Broad Street following the vehicle in front of it so closely that it would have been unable to stop quickly if needing to do so. The vehicle was also observed weaving and displaying a license plate bracket that completely covered the state of the license plate. The vehicle was paced traveling 42 MPH in a clearly posted 35 MPH zone.
Emergency lights were activated to conduct a traffic stop near the intersection of Broad Street and East Avenue D. The driver rolled the window down only a few inches and a strong odor commonly associated with marijuana was emitting from inside the vehicle. The driver identified himself by his own admission as Artavius Jerome Drew .
Mr. Drew stated he did not have any weapons and advised he forgot his driver’s license at home. As officers illuminated the inside of the vehicle, Mr. Drew began reaching under the driver’s seat. He was advised to stop reaching around the vehicle and step out. Instead, Mr. Drew placed the vehicle into drive and accelerated at an extremely high rate of speed northbound on Broad Street, forcing officers to quickly jump out of the way so they did not get struck. The vehicle came within inches of running over an officer’s feet.
Officers began pursuing the vehicle northbound on Broad Street. Near Broad Street and 45th Street in Griffith, stop sticks deployed by Griffith Police successfully struck the Mercedes’ tires. The vehicle continued northbound at an extremely high rate of speed passing vehicles which posed serious risk of potential serious bodily injury to officers as well as the innocent motoring public.
At Broad Street and Ridge Road, the vehicle turned westbound onto Ridge Road disregarding a red traffic light. Near the Kennedy Avenue overpass, the vehicle turned off all of its lights while traveling at speeds over 90 MPH. During the pursuit, officers reported speeds reaching over 100 MPH attempting to keep up with the fleeing vehicle.
Near Ridge Road and U.S. 41, the vehicle again disregarded a red traffic control device at a high rate of speed and nearly struck a vehicle traveling northbound on U.S. 41.
Mr. Drew then lost control of the vehicle in the 2100 block of Ridge Road, striking a curb and a fire hydrant. The hydrant was ripped out of the ground and left completely inoperable. Damage to the hydrant was estimated at $2,500 or more.
After the vehicle came to a stop, Mr. Drew exited through the passenger side door and ran northbound, hopping a fence and running through Wicker Park. Officers pursued on foot giving loud commands to stop, which were disregarded. After Mr. Drew fell to the ground, a taser was deployed to gain compliance and he was taken into custody.
During the foot pursuit, Mr. Drew threw a black backpack from his person. Inside the backpack, officers located a large quantity of marijuana.
Mr. Drew requested medical attention due to shortness of breath and was transported to a Munster hospital where he was medically cleared before being transported to the Lake County Jail.
A search of the vehicle located 28 brand new empty THC marijuana dispensary style bags commonly used to individually package marijuana and a second cell phone. The marijuana recovered from the backpack was later photographed, tested, and weighed 219 grams, testing positive for marijuana.
Charges filed January 28,2026:
• Dealing in Marijuana; Between 30g-10lbs — Level 6 Felony
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Uses a Vehicle — Level 6 Felony
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Causes Bodily Injury — Level 6 Felony
• Dealing in Marijuana; Possession With Intent, <30g, Prior Drug Conviction — Level 6 Felony
• Criminal Mischief Damage Between $750 & $50k — A Misdemeanor
• Resisting Law Enforcement — A Misdemeanor
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident — B Misdemeanor
• Possession of Marijuana — B Misdemeanor
• Reckless Driving — C Misdemeanor (2 counts)
Citations Issued:
• Speeding
• Speeding
• Following Too Closely
• Improper Display of License Plate
• Unsafe Start
• Unsafe Lane Movement
• Disregarding Traffic Control Device
• Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicle
• Failure to Display License
