New Hammond law forces gas stations to close overnight
HAMMOND, Ind. (WISH) — Gas stations will have to apply for exceptions if they want to remain open overnight in one city in northwest Indiana.
Mayor Tom McDermott had cited crime at gas stations as a reason for the move. He said on social media that he’s glad the ordinance was passed.
The city says Hammond has 37 gas stations, although not all stay open overnight. Gas stations can apply for exemptions from the ordinance to remain open overnight.
Major highways — including the Indiana Toll Road, Interstate 94, and U.S. 41 — run through Hammond.
Hammond is Indiana’s eighth-largest city by population, with 76,575 residents based on 2022 estimates. The city sits on Indiana’s northwest corner and borders Illinois and Lake Michigan.
The proposal was introduced a few weeks after Ronnie Martin, 33, of Chicago, died after being shot around 2 a.m. June 25 at the Luke gas station at 5105 State Line Ave. That’s on the Illinois-Indiana border off Sibley Street.
The ordinance indicates that violent crimes happened late at night at gas stations. Those crimes have included carjackings, robberies, batteries, “shots fired” calls, criminal recklessness, and homicides.
The Democrat mayor says he will sign the ordinance Wednesday. The ordinance will become law once it’s advertised.
