Hobart Police Pursue Smart Car Into Griffith Leading To Shots Fired
On January 5, 2020, at approximately 1:04pm, Hobart Police officers responded to the T-Mobile store inside Southlake Mall for a theft of four iPhones, Captain James Gonzales told Region News. It was reported by a witness the suspect was possibly armed with a handgun; however, it was not displayed or implied during the theft, Gonzales said.
Officers located the suspect vehicle, a smart car, which fled when officers initiated a traffic stop. Officers pursued the vehicle onto I-80/94 and into Griffith where the driver intentionally rammed two marked Hobart Police cars. A third marked Hobart Police car was also damaged and an officer suffered minor injuries after the suspect pinned the officer by striking the door of the police car as the officer attempted to exit. When the chase entered Griffith city limits Highland & Griffith Police had joined in to assist because the subject was possibly armed. When Griffith officers felt officer safety was in danger after the Hobart officer was pinned in, a Griffith Officer fired shots at the suspect but did not hit him, Griffith Police said.
The suspect, a 30 year old Chicago man, was arrested. A female passenger also from Chicago was subsequently interviewed and released. All four iPhones were recovered. Three of the phones had been thrown out of the vehicle during the pursuit. No handgun was located. The smart car belonged to Car2Go Rental Company.
Charges are pending the conclusion of the investigation by Hobart Police Detective Sgt. Rod Gonzalez and review by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office .
Assisting agencies were Griffith Police, Highland Police, Lake County Police.
Video Courtesy Of David Tirado
