CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A police pursuit on I-80/94 near Hammond on Sunday night ended with a car submerged in a retention pond with two children inside.
St. John Police Officer Darrell Shaffer was pursuing a car that fled a traffic stop involving other officers.
His dash-cam captured the car taking an exit off of I-80/94 and splashing into a retention pond. He jumped in, and the woman behind the wheel didn't tell him there was a baby and a toddler in the car.
St. John Police Officer Darrell Shaffer told CBS 2 he went in, "all I could see was water. I saw the 3-year old floating in the back. There were two bags of clothes that I moved out of the way and I still couldn't see the baby. Then I reached into the water and I felt a leg, and then I pulled her upside down out of the water."
Both the baby and the 3-year old were rushed to an area hospital, but both were OK.
According to police, the incident started as a traffic stop by Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's police officers at 11:08 p.m. Sunday. A driver was spotted speeding near 101st Street and White Oak Avenue in St. John.
Police said the driver, a man with a warrant, got out and ran from officers on foot and ended up in a different retention pond and had to be rescued.
Meanwhile, police said, the woman in the car with the driver at the time of the traffic stop moved to the driver's seat and sped off, losing control on a ramp and ending up in the water.
The woman never told police there were kids in the car with her in the pond.
CBS 2 reported the officer was emotional talking about the rescue.
"When you have kids of your own and you see them struggling...it's not their fault, I mean, they did nothing wrong. They were in a bad situation that they should have never been put in," Officer Shaffer said.
According to CBS 2, the case is with the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Office now, where the adults involved are in custody. There is no word yet on charges.
