Wednesday, May 12th at approximately 3:00 p.m., Trooper Griffin was conducting a traffic stop on I-80/94 westbound near the 5.8 mile-marker. While standing outside his police car, he saw a red Ford Fusion approaching him from the rear while it was passing several vehicles on the right shoulder. The vehicle then merged over into the driving lane and passed the parked police car, accelerating at a high rate of speed. Had the vehicle not merged back into the lane of travel, it would have rear-ended the trooper’s car.
The vehicle then again began passing vehicles while driving on the right shoulder as Trooper Griffin attempted to catch up to the vehicle. Trooper Griffin watched as the vehicle exited onto Cline Ave. and continued north. A traffic stop was initiated as Trooper Griffin was able to catch up to the vehicle on Cline Ave.
The vehicle failed to stop and continued to accelerate at a high rate of speed away from the trooper. A pursuit was initiated and as the suspect vehicle fled, it abruptly swerved to the right hitting several construction barrels before it swerved back to the left and struck the concrete median wall. The driver continued to drive the crashed vehicle northbound when it again swerved to the right off onto the Toll Road exit ramp where it crashed a second time into a guardrail.
The male driver was ordered out of the vehicle and taken into custody without incident. He has been identified as Nevaeh I. Thomas-Moore, 19, from Harvey, IL. Mr. Thomas-Moore was transported to the Lake County Jail for processing. He is preliminarily charged with the following:
- Resisting Law Enforcement with Vehicle – Level 6 Felony
- Dealing Marijuana – Level 6 Felony
- Reckless Driving in Work Zone- Class A Misdemeanor
- Aggressive Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
- Possession of Marijuana- Class B Misdemeanor
Assisting at the scene was the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the East Chicago Police Dept. The vehicle was impounded.
All persons named in this release are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. All charges mentioned are merely accusations, actual charges will be determined by the Lake County Prosecutor's Office.