Indiana State Police investigating officer-involved shooting on Toll Road

PORTER COUNTY, Ind.—Indiana State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting on the Toll Road that occurred on September 4.

Around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, officers received reports of three males allegedly trying to break into cars, according to a report released by the Indiana State Police.

At about 2:35 p.m., a Valparaiso Police officer saw a vehicle that matched the description on Calumet Avenue. The officer attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle continued traveling north on Calumet Ave. and then north on SR 49.

The suspect vehicle got onto the Indiana Toll Road at mile marker 31 and continued traveling west before crashing near the 27.8 mile marker.

When the vehicle crashed, the three male suspects ran from the scene into a wooded area near CR 200 West, north of the Toll Road.

Law enforcement from multiple agencies searched for the suspects.

Two suspects were located in the wooded area north of the Toll Road and arrested without further incident.

The third suspect went back to the Toll road and was seen running west by a maintenance worker who was directing traffic near the original crash.

While he was setting up traffic cones, the maintenance worker saw the suspect try to get into an occupied vehicle that was stopped in traffic, police said.

The suspect then tried to get into the empty maintenance vehicle’s driver’s seat but the maintenance worker grabbed the suspect by the shirt and said he could not take the truck but the suspect put the truck into reverse, backed up, and crashed into a semi-truck, according to police.

As the suspect was backing up, he drove towards the maintenance worker and officers, police said.

At this point, shorts were fired by a Porter County Sheriff’s deputy and two Indiana State Troopers, Indiana State Police reported.

The suspect continued driving and crashed into a second semi-truck before getting out of the truck, jumping the media and attempting to escape below the Toll Road but was taken into custody.

The suspect was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

All three suspects are in police custody.

The incident remains under investigation.