Juvenile arrested after hitting police car, allegedly leading chase
At 2:49 p.m., an officer with the Police Department was traveling on Broadway Street near North Carroll Avenue in his marked patrol vehicle when a passenger van exiting an alley adjacent to Broadway Street allegedly failed to yield, hitting the right rear bumper of the patrol vehicle with the right front bumper of the van, officers said.
The driver of the van did not stop to exchange information for a crash report and instead drove onto North Carroll Avenue, police reported.
The officer activated his lights and siren to try to stop the van but the driver allegedly continued the pursuit, officers said.
The chase moved to the east side of Michigan City, into the city limits of La Porte, and back towards Michigan City.
Police offers saw the driver discard several items out of the vehicle while driving, reports said.
Officers from various police departments joined in the chase. The driver of the van almost hit the patrol vehicle of a La Porte City Police Officer while officers tried to stop the vehicle with Stop Sticks, officers said.
Officers used another tire deflation device at the intersection of Johnson Road and C.R. West 300 North and as the driver swerved to avoid the device, the van flipped onto its side.
The van hit another vehicle stopped on the side of the road.
The driver was safely taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle led police to the discovery of parts of a firearm, ammunition, and evidence of narcotic use. Officers also discovered that items along the route the driver took allegedly matched firearm parts found in the driver’s van, police said.
The juvenile driver is facing the following alleged charges, along with multiple alleged citations, officers said:
resisting law enforcement
criminal recklessness
possession of marijuana
dangerous possession of a firearm
leaving the scene of a property damage crash
No one was injured from the pursuit and crash. The driver was medically cleared and taken to the La Porte County Juvenile Services Center.