A Seelyville marshal's attempt to pull over a speeding white SUV on U.S. 40 early Friday morning turned into a chase that topped 110 mph and ended with the driver trying to climb into a Terre Haute police cruiser. Five people bailed out of the vehicle once it finally stopped, and officers say the SUV had been reported stolen.
According to a report from Yahoo News, the marshal tried to initiate the stop on U.S. 40 in the early morning hours of November 6 after clocking the SUV for speeding. The driver did not stop right away. The same report states the vehicle initially came to a stop at a residence on South Main Street, though a separate extraction tied to WTHR's coverage places that initial stop on North Main Street, and the discrepancy between the two locations has not been resolved in available reporting.
From there, the pursuit stretched across Vigo County and into Terre Haute, with the SUV reaching speeds exceeding 110 miles per hour before it was over, per the Yahoo News report. The chase eventually ended near the intersection of 25th Street and Farrington Street in Terre Haute, where all five occupants exited the vehicle and fled on foot as it came to a stop.
Driver Allegedly Tried Climbing Into a Patrol Car
Police identified the driver as 19-year-old Braden D. Crabb of Terre Haute. Once out of the SUV, Crabb allegedly tried to steal a Terre Haute police cruiser by getting inside it, according to a release cited by WTHR.com, but officers arrested him before the cruiser was taken.
Investigators determined the SUV involved in the chase had been reported stolen, the WTHR report notes. Crabb was taken into custody and later booked into Vigo County Jail.
Three Teens Scattered, Two Later Tracked Down
Not everyone who ran was immediately caught. Officers found a 15-year-old girl nearby, but the other three occupants could not be located right away, per the same WTHR.com account. Investigators later identified and interviewed two more occupants, both also 15 years old.
Charges Still Being Sorted Out
Crabb was preliminarily charged with five felonies and five misdemeanors, according to WTHR.com's reporting. The Tribune-Star separately reported that he was booked into Vigo County Jail on charges including criminal recklessness, vehicle theft, unauthorized entry of a vehicle used in a crime, resisting law enforcement, neglect of a dependent or child, minor in possession of alcohol, and reckless driving, according to the Tribune-Star.
Whether the three 15-year-olds who fled Thursday's crash face any charges of their own has not been indicated by police, and the Vigo County Prosecutor's Office will ultimately decide what formal charges, if any, move forward against Crabb.
