SOUTH BEND, IND. (WWJ) – Police in both Michigan and Indiana are investigating after an assault suspect died following a chase across state lines that led to an officer-involved shooting Wednesday night.
It all began shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when a Michigan State Police trooper from the Niles Post made a traffic stop in the parking lot of Green Stem Provisioning, a marijuana business in the city of Niles.
Authorities say the suspect had a broken brake lamp on the red Kia he was driving, with a female front passenger.
During the traffic stop the trooper discovered the driver had an active warrant out for his arrest, stemming from a previous assault. When the trooper tried to arrest him, “he began to actively resist and a physical altercation ensued.”
The driver was eventually able to escape back to his vehicle, where the trooper followed him and deployed his Taser as he sat in the driver’s seat, according to MSP officials.
The driver then pulled out a gun. That’s when the trooper “pointed his issued firearm at the driver and verbally ordered him to drop the weapon.”
The suspect driver then fled in the vehicle southbound on S. 11th Street, with the trooper in pursuit.
The suspect vehicle traveled several miles before crossing over into St. Joseph County, Indiana. Per MSP pursuit policy, troopers are permitted to pursue across state lines when the pursuit involves a suspect wanted for a violent felony.
The pursuit ultimately entered South Bend, and near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marion Street the Kia hit a South Bend Police Department vehicle that was deploying stop sticks in an effort to de-escalate the pursuit.
“After striking the South Bend Police Department vehicle, the male suspect fled on foot southeast toward the river and shots were fired,” MSP officials said in a press release. It was not immediately clear if the suspect fired any shots at police or if he was hit by police fire.
A second MSP trooper in his police vehicle pursued the suspect while he fled on foot. The police vehicle went partially over the embankment and hit a tree, officials said.
A search for the suspect began, involving multiple officers from different agencies. The suspect was ultimately found dead at the bottom of an embankment near the river, officials said.
The woman in the suspect’s vehicle was uninjured.
Indiana State Police detectives are currently investigating the officer-involved-shooting, chase, crash, suspect cause of death and other circumstances of this incident that occurred in Indiana.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday to determine the suspect’s cause of death.
In accordance with MSP policy, the two involved MSP troopers have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The suspect has not yet been publicly identified.
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest information.
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