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Funeral motorcade stopped, one arrested

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Fort Wayne Police said a Monday afternoon traffic stop that tied up traffic near Jefferson and Broadway in downtown Fort Wayne involved a stolen vehicle in a funeral procession.

Fort Wayne Police Spokesman John Chambers said the department’s gang unit was watching the funeral motorcade going down Broadway because of a tip about a possible act of retaliation in the area. While surveying the motorcade, officers noticed a vehicle that had been reported stolen. Officers stopped the car in the motorcade and detained the four people inside it.

In the end, Chambers said the driver was arrested. However, because the driver is a juvenile, Chambers couldn’t give any more information about the suspect.

The incident drew dozens of onlookers. A few told WISH-TV’s sister station WANE that they saw officers’ guns drawn and said the scene was ‘crazy.’

“Tons of people [were] walking outside, getting out of their cars, yelling that they had to get places,” witness Bryce Moodie said. “Traffic was stopped completely.”

Moodie worked at Ryan Hadley Studio near the intersection. He said he heard sirens then a lot of commotion outside.

“It wasn’t a normal sirens passing by type thing,” Moodie said. “There were definitely multiple kinds of sirens going on.”

The funeral arrangements were done by Carmichael Funeral Service. The business declined to comment about the incident.