An Illinois man is in custody after Indiana State Police brought an end to a multi-county car chase along I-65 yesterday. Mekyell Brown-Champion, 25, from Chicago, was arrested following a pursuit that started with a report of a possible robbery at a Scott County gas station, FOX59 reported.
The chase began shortly before 8 a.m. when Scottsburg Police Department alerted officers to be on the lookout for a black Volkswagen SUV with Tennessee registration and later on that morning, officers from the Seymour Police Department located the vehicle on I-65 northbound, initiating a pursuit that Brown-Champion responded to by accelerating, thus evading police. As stated by WISH-TV, the pursuit involved multiple law enforcement agencies and continued into Bartholomew County.
The suspect then attempted a diversion, driving westbound on State Road 46 before trying to re-enter southbound I-65 where a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) Maneuver by an Indiana State Police trooper effectively disabled the vehicle, as The Bridge FM detailed. This maneuver brought the chase to a halt without injury or further incident.
Following Brown-Champion's arrest, it was discovered that the vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen from Nashville, Tennessee, and that he was also wanted on an arrest warrant in Illinois, although the details of the warrant have not been disclosed, additional charges in Indiana are likely as the investigation continues, and there is an ongoing determination on whether former criminal charges will be applied.
