Lake County- On Sunday, March 24th, at approximately 3:53 a.m., Trooper Jace Haddon was patrolling I-80/94 near Kennedy Ave. when he observed a silver Chevrolet SUV with heavy front-end damage, driving at an extremely high rate of speed eastbound. The vehicle was paced at 115 mph. I-80/94 has a posted speed limit of 55 mph. Trooper Haddon initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, however, the driver refused to stop resulting in a pursuit.
The pursuit exited the interstate onto Grant St. where the vehicle crashed into three parked vehicles near the intersection of Lincoln and 36th Ave. The driver then fled from the scene with troopers also in foot pursuit of the suspect. As the suspect was fleeing from the troopers, he dropped two handguns which were recovered. During the apprehension of the suspect, a taser had to be deployed to gain control of the suspect. During that deployment, the suspect fell face-first onto the concrete. First aid was immediately rendered to the suspect until EMS arrived who then transported him to Northlake Hospital in Gary for treatment. The suspect was later transported to I.U. Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for evaluation. After being treated and released, the suspect was then transported back to Northwest Indiana by troopers and incarcerated at the Lake County Jail.
During the investigation, troopers determined that the passengers in the vehicle attempted to get the driver to stop, but he refused. The occupants of the vehicle, one female adult and an eight-year-old child, remained in the vehicle following the crash and were not injured. Troopers also determined that the original damage to the suspect vehicle was a result of a hit and run crash that the driver was actively fleeing from that had also occurred on I-80/94 eastbound near Indianapolis Blvd. The victim of that crash was attempting to contact police to report the crash when it passed the trooper at a high rate of speed.
The suspect has been identified as Endris Thomas, 30, from Olympia Fields, IL. He is being held at the Lake County Jail without bond as there is a hold for him on charges in Cook County, IL for Escape-Failure to Comply with Electronic Ankle Monitoring. The following charges have been approved by the Lake County Prosecutor's Office:
- Unlawful carrying of a handgun by prior convicted felon- Level 5 Felony (2 counts)
- Unlawful possession of a narcotic drug- Level 5 Felony
- Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle- Level 6 Felony
- Resisting law enforcement- Level 6 Felony (3 counts)
- Intimidation- Level 6 Felony (2 counts)
- O.W.I.- Endangering a person- Class A Misdemeanor (2 counts)
- Possession of marijuana- Class B misdemeanor
- O.W.I.- Class C Misdemeanor
All suspects are presumed to be innocent until/unless proven guilty in court.
