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Man Driving 160 MPH On Indiana Toll Road 'Just Trying To Get To Maryland'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Maybe if he'd been driving a Cheetah he'd have gotten away. The driver of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat was arrested Tuesday night after driving 160 mph on the Indiana Toll Road near La Porte.

Indiana State Police said a trooper who had just helped a stranded motorist in the eastbound lanes near La Porte was merging back into traffic around 7 p.m., when he spotted an orange Dodge Challenger Hellcat zoom past him, weaving in and out of traffic without using turn signals.

Hellcat
Indiana State Police pulled over this Dodge Challenger Hellcat after the driver was caught speeding 160 mph on the Indiana Toll Road on March 20, 2018. (Credit: Indiana State Police)

The trooper sped up to catch the Hellcat, reaching speeds of more than 150 mph. Due to the speeds involved, the trooper issued a warning over the police radio. He managed to catch up to the speeding car when it got blocked by two semi trailer trucks driving next to each other.

The Hellcat pulled over about seven miles east of La Porte, and the driver told the trooper he had been driving 160 mph, and was "just trying to get to Maryland," police said.

The driver, 38-year-old J. Jesus Duran Sandoval, of Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with reckless driving. Police said he was driving on an expired license.

J Jesus Duran-Sandoval
J. Jesus Duran Sandoval was charged with reckless driving after going approximately 160 mph in a Dodge Challenger Hellcat on the Indiana Toll Road on March 20, 2018. (Credit: LaPorte County Sheriff)

Indiana State Police said it was the second incident in two weeks of drivers going 130 mph or faster on the Toll Road. He was being held at the LaPorte County Jail on $505 bond, and was due to appear in court on April 2, according to sheriff's office records.

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