Man Arrested After Chase Through 4 Northwest Indiana Municipalities
HAMMOND, Ind. (CBS) -- Indiana State Police arrested a Hammond man early Saturday after a chase through four different Northwest Indiana municipalities.
It all started at 4:17 a.m., when Trooper Alaa Hamed was patrolling Interstate 80/94 in an unmarked squad car. He stopped for what he thought was a disabled vehicle parked on the right shoulder of the eastbound side of the expressway at the 13-mile marker, state police said.
The car that Hamed thought was disabled did not have any lights on. Hamed pulled up behind the vehicle and activated the lights on his squad car for safety, state police said.
It turned out the car was not disabled at all. Its driver turned on the lights and sped off, state police said. Hamed tried to pull the driver over, but he didn't stop – and police ended up chasing him through Lake Station, Gary, New Chicago, and finally Hobart, where officers lost sight of him, police said.
The vehicle, a gray 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, struck a tree in Gary, but was able to keep going, state police said. Traffic was light and there were no pedestrians out.
After the chase ended, officers went to the address where the registered owner lives. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was parked right there in the driveway, and officers knocked on the door of the house and spoke to a woman, state police said.
Police figured out Alex P. Ramirez, 28, of Hammond, had been driving during the multi-town chase – but at the time, he was not home, state police said.
Shortly afterward, Ramirez appeared and surrendered in a neighbor's yard, police said. He was arrested without incident.
Ramirez was found to be intoxicated at the scene and was in possession of marijuana, and his driver's license was suspended, police said. He refused to take a field sobriety test and a certified chemical test, police said.
Ramirez stood charged Saturday with a felony count of resisting law enforcement of a vehicle, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement, operating while intoxicated and endangering, possession of marijuana, reckless driving, and refusing to take chemical tests – as well as the infraction of driving on a suspended license.
