LPR Hits On Stolen Car Wanted In Numerous Robberies
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at approximately 5:14 AM a Merrillville Police Officer on routine patrol received a notification from the Target Alert System (TAS) that a stolen vehicle had been detected by the License Plate Recognition (LPR) system and that it was headed towards the officer’s direction, according to Assistant Chief Kosta Nuses.
The officer observed a vehicle matching the description of the stolen vehicle in the 7200 Block of Taft Street. Once the officer was able to get a visual on the license plate, a confirmation was made that the vehicle was indeed stolen, Nuses said. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop by activating the vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens. However the stolen vehicle did not stop and instead began traveling faster in an attempt to get away from the officer. The officer along with several other Merrillville officers initiated a pursuit of the stolen, fleeing vehicle. Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies joined and assisted with the pursuit.
The pursuit continued into Gary and ended in the 3700 Block of Cleveland when the stolen vehicle crashed into a guard rail. Occupants of the vehicle then exited and fled from police on foot. After a brief foot pursuit officers were able to take the driver into custody. During the foot chase a handgun was recovered, Nuses said.
Once the driver was in custody it was determined that he and the vehicle he was driving was connected to several armed robberies in Illinois.
The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Lake County Jail with several pending charges. Check back for updates on these charges and names.
