Three teenage boys were arrested after leading Lake County deputies on a 120-mph chase through Gary that ended with them bailing out of a moving SUV and running into a house, police said. The driver had allegedly fled north on Broadway before crashing the stolen vehicle into another car near 7th Avenue and Clark Road; a person in that car was taken to the hospital.
The suspects, ages 15, 16 and 17, were taken to the Lake County Juvenile Center following their arrests, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Per FOX 32 Chicago, the chase began after Lake County Sheriff's Department officers learned that Chicago police were searching for a stolen black Chevy Suburban, which its owner had been tracking via GPS.
A Lake County officer spotted the SUV near 50th Avenue and Massachusetts Street in Gary. When the officer activated lights and sirens, the driver took off north on Broadway, where the vehicle reached speeds of more than 120 mph, before eventually entering westbound Interstate 80 and exiting at Burr Street.
Teens Ditch SUV, Flee Into House
In the 4900 block of West 7th Avenue, all three suspects reportedly jumped out of the still-moving SUV and ran into a nearby home, per police. Officers quickly established a perimeter around the house. Two of the suspects were taken into custody after coming out onto the porch, while the third was arrested inside.
Before the suspects abandoned the vehicle, the SUV struck another vehicle near 7th Avenue and Clark Road, according to police. A person in that vehicle was taken to an area hospital with injuries police believed to be non-life-threatening.
A Familiar Pattern Along I-80/94
This marks the second high-speed, cross-border pursuit tied to Gary in just over a week. Hoodline previously reported that on September 25, Lake County Sheriff's deputies chased another fleeing vehicle westbound on Interstate 80, starting at the Burr Street interchange, after a Chicago Police helicopter tracked it, a pursuit that ended in a crash with four suspects detained.
The Burr Street exit along I-80/94 has repeatedly been the site of such pursuits. On March 29, 2022, Lake County Sheriff's aviation units and Gary police tracked a fleeing 17-year-old suspect along the same stretch before he abandoned his vehicle and was arrested behind a bank on Ridge Road, according to WIMS Radio. In another pursuit, officers deployed tire-deflation stop sticks at the same exit to disable a fleeing suspect's vehicle in a chase that ended in Illinois after a PIT maneuver, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
What Charges Could the Teens Face
Indiana does not have a standalone carjacking statute; forced vehicle takings are instead prosecuted under robbery, armed robbery or auto theft laws, with armed robbery carrying Level 2 or Level 3 felony penalties depending on whether a weapon was used or someone was injured, according to the Indiana-based firm Shircliff Law LLC. Separately, the pursuit involved a driver fleeing from a law enforcement officer in a vehicle after the officer activated lights and sirens.
If any of the teens remain in secure detention, Indiana juvenile justice procedures require that a waiver hearing on transferring the case to adult court take place within 20 business days of a delinquency petition being filed, per guidance from Indiana Legal Services. State court rules also mandate that juvenile courts appoint defense counsel for any minor facing delinquency proceedings before hearings that could result in detention or a transfer to adult court, according to the Sixth Amendment Center.
