HAMMOND, IN – A dramatic chase involving a stolen U-Haul truck concluded tragically when the vehicle plunged into the Little Calumet River. The driver perished when he attempted, but failed, to swim away from the sunken truck.
At about 4:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Hammond Police Department were alerted by their license plate reader system to the presence of a stolen U-Haul truck in the city. Officers immediately responded to the reported location- 136th Street and Sheffield Avenue- and signaled the U-Haul to pull over. The truck did not comply and fled, prompting a high-speed chase.
The pursued truck wound its way to 130th Street and Indiana Avenue. Here, it careened over the edge, breaching a guardrail and launching into the Little Calumet River.
Upon the truck’s river crash, officers witnessed the driver exit the truck and attempt to swim away. His attempts were unsuccessful, and he submerged. Despite officers entering the water to perform a rescue, the driver was not located until the Chicago Fire Department dive team arrived on the scene. The identity of the suspect has yet to be made public.
Hammond police also revealed that a female passenger had been present in the U-Haul at the onset of the chase. She managed to leap from the vehicle during the pursuit and is currently being held for questioning. As it stands, she has active warrants for her arrest relating to cocaine possession.
Police are still working to understand the circumstances behind the U-Haul truck theft and whether there was anything of interest within the vehicle.