Driver of Hellcat arrested for driving 160 mph on toll road
LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) — An Indiana State Police trooper clocked a Dodge Challenger Hellcat driving 160 mph down the Indiana Toll Road Tuesday night.
Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, the trooper was merging into traffic after helping a broke down motorist near the 45 mile marker eastbound when an orange Dodge Challenger Hellcat passed him at a high rate of speed, according to a state police report. The trooper noted that he saw the Hellcat weaving in and out of traffic without using turn signals as it moved around slower vehicles, the report said.
The trooper sped up to catch up to the Hellcat and soon found himself driving 150 miles per hour as the Hellcat continued to pull away, according to the report. Due to the high speed of the Hellcat, the trooper radioed ahead for other troopers to watch for it.
The trooper caught up to the Hellcat after it got caught behind two semis that were driving next to each other, the report said. He pulled the vehicle over near the 56 mile marker, approximately seven miles east of the LaPorte exit.
The driver of the Hellcat – identified as 38-year-old J. Jesus Duran Sandoval of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – was allegedly driving on an expired driver’s license. Sandoval reportedly told the trooper he was driving a bit more than 160 miles per hour and just trying to get to Maryland, according to the report.
Sandoval was arrested on a preliminary charge of Reckless Driving and taken to the LaPorte County Jail.