5 Stolen Cars Intercepted On I-65
Saturday morning, (January 30, 2021), Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. and several officers with the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Patrol, and three other jurisdictions assisted in the pursuit of 5 stolen vehicles, which ended in the arrest of 3 subjects from Illinois.
The incident began sometime around 4 a.m. Indiana State Police and Jasper County police officers were pursuing 5 stolen vehicles headed northbound on Interstate 65 through the Lowell area. A Lake County officer patrolling the area of Interstate 65 and US-231 joined the pursuit when he observed several vehicles traveling at speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour. At I-65 and U.S. 30, the officer observed a male exit an SUV and attempt to flee on foot on the roadway, disappearing between vehicles that were at a standstill in traffic. The officer then spotted a car that was involved in the pursuit exit onto U.S. 30 and turn north on Colorado Street in the Hobart area. A male jumped out of the car in the 7300 block of Colorado, and ran west between houses. Sheriff Martinez joined the officer in attempting to track the fleeing male subject. As many as five other Lake County Sheriff’s Department officers, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit and three officers with the Indiana Police assisted. They endured extremely cold temperatures in a densely wooded area. In 6700 block of Colorado, officers apprehended the male who fled from the car. Officers retrieved a handgun and tools from a backpack inside the car.
Three males from Illinois are in custody pending criminal charges.
“This pursuit happened just hours after another incident where a 31-year-old man led police on a high-speed chase and slammed into two police squad vehicles,” said Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. “That case ended with shots fired and police eventually apprehending the suspect at 25th & Broadway in Gary. At the time, we were involved in a countywide blitz aimed at helping to end the rise in carjackings and car thefts in the area.”
“I have been monitoring the spike in armed carjackings in the Chicago and surrounding suburbs. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is committed to apprehending these dangerous suspects and bringing them to justice,” Sheriff Martinez said.
Sheriff Martinez would like to thank officers from Hobart Police Department, Merrillville Police Department, St. John Police Department, and Schererville Police Department, as well as the Indiana State Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
