Authorities in Monroe County are on the hunt for a suspect after an audacious Christmas Day escape attempt that included driving a stolen vehicle onto an airport tarmac. According to FOX59, sheriff's deputies began pursuing a black Chevy Equinox, reported stolen around 4:45 p.m. last Thursday.
Deputies attempted to stop a vehicle near S. Rogers Street and S. Rockport Road, but the driver refused and led them to Monroe County Airport. The suspect drove through a security gate onto the tarmac, then crashed through a fence along Kirby Road into Greene County. Despite deploying tire deflation devices, deputies ended the pursuit.
The stolen vehicle was subsequently located abandoned behind a house on E. State Road 54. Efforts to track the suspect using a Bloomington police K9 unit proved to be unsuccessful, as stated in a release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which was echoed by coverage from WTHR. The incident prompted an extensive search, with authorities asking for the public's help and warning that the suspect may be "armed and dangerous."
Surveillance images show a suspect believed to have stolen a Ford F-250 and possibly armed. Sheriff Ruben Marté emphasized in The Bloomingtonian that the individual should be considered dangerous. Bloomington police towed the vehicle, and the investigation is ongoing with the suspect still at large.
Anyone with information about the suspect is urged to contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Monroe and Greene County officials are working together on the investigation.
