Gun task force ended vehicle pursuit shortly before crash closing I-465; suspect at large
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A gun task force on Tuesday afternoon gave up its pursuit of a vehicle with four armed people when it turned onto I-465.
But a short time later, authorities say, the vehicle crashed on I-465 westbound and closed it briefly just west of the I-65 interchange on the south side of Indianapolis.
Sgt. Tony Patterson with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told the news media, “Out of the interest of public safety and the construction that’s going on, the driver of that vehicle continued driving recklessly on 465 and later crashed into a vehicle occupied by uninvolved citizens.”
The interstate was closed for just over an hour as police sorted out what happened, took three of the four people in the car into custody, searched the area for the fourth person who fled the crash, and located a machine gun conversion device from the vehicle.
On Tuesday night, the suspect police was seeking remained at large, but Patterson said IMPD did not believe the suspect was in the immediate area, so the public is not believed to be in danger.
The first dispatch from the crash, calling for medics, was recorded just before 2:20 p.m. Tuesday. Indiana Department of Transportation had initially described a “roadway hazard” for closing I-465 westbound between South Keystone and Madison avenues.
Before that dispatch, the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force had been conducting an investigation into the suspect. The pursuit began after the suspect entered the vehicle with three other people from a location that police have not disclosed.
IMPD has not publicly identified the suspect or anyone apprehended at the crash scene.
After the crash, News 8 photographer David Smith saw a large police and emergency vehicle presence on Salem Square. That street is in small residential addition northwest of the South Keystone Avenue overpass for I-465.
A child, who was not publicly identified, received minor injuries when he was struck by the suspects’ vehicle. The child was treated at the crash scene.
News 8’s Adam Pinsker contributed to this story. Below are photos from him.
Below are photos from News 8’s David Smith.
