A detective's attempt to stop a speeding car on Interstate 80 near Kennedy Avenue turned into a cross-state pursuit early Thursday, ending with two Hammond men in custody, a state trooper's vehicle rammed, and two guns recovered from inside a fleeing sedan. Julian Casares, 19, and Hector Hills-Montejano, 20, both of Hammond, now face felony charges after the chase carried them from Indiana into Illinois before troopers forced their car to a stop.
According to WRTV, the incident began around 12:55 a.m. Thursday when a detective spotted a gray Dodge sedan traveling 92 mph in a 55 mph zone and tried to stop it near the 3.4-mile marker on I-80. Casares, who was driving, sped off instead of pulling over, with Hills-Montejano riding as a passenger, the station reports.
Chase Reaches Triple Digits Before Crossing State Lines
The pursuit continued westbound on I-80 and reached speeds of more than 100 mph, per the outlet's reporting. Casares briefly exited at Calumet Avenue before returning to the interstate, and a state trooper identified as Trooper Haddon joined the chase as it unfolded.
Just west of Calumet Avenue, Casares and Hills-Montejano allegedly rammed Trooper Haddon's police vehicle, an act the station describes as intentional, causing the front passenger tire on the Dodge to go flat. Despite the damage, Casares kept driving, continuing onto Interstates 294 and 94 into Illinois, the same account notes.
Car Loses Control Near 159th Street, Then Comes to a Stop
Casares lost control of the sedan near the 159th Street junction and briefly drove into a ditch before steering back onto the road, the report states. Illinois State Police arrived on scene around 1:03 a.m., and Trooper Haddon ultimately used a precision transition maneuver to force the damaged vehicle to a stop. Troopers then detained all four people inside the car.
Investigators searching the sedan found a Glock 22 on the rear seat and an AR-pistol on the front floorboard, the station reports. Neither Casares nor Hills-Montejano was legally allowed to carry firearms, according to the same account, which also states that Casares is a convicted felon and did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the chase.
Men Face Felony Charges, Extradition Pending
Casares and Hills-Montejano face felony charges of aggravated battery, resisting law enforcement, and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, along with misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and operating while intoxicated, per the outlet's reporting. Two other passengers in the vehicle were released without charges, the report notes. Both men were taken to Cook County Jail in Maywood, Illinois, and are awaiting extradition back to Indiana.
A separate incident reported by CBS News described a police chase in Hammond that ended in a crash on a Wednesday, when a man speeding in a black Dodge Charger along the Borman Expressway lost control while trying to exit at Kennedy Avenue and struck a concrete median. That driver was taken to a Chicago hospital with serious injuries, while no one else was hurt, according to the sheriff's office cited in that report. It remains unclear whether that crash is connected to the pursuit involving Casares and Hills-Montejano.
