CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A suspect trying to evade a police pursuit died Wednesday morning after crashing a U-Haul truck into the Little Calumet River.
Hammond Police said the city’s license plate reader system detected a stolen U-Haul at about 4:10 a.m. Officers on patrol near 136th and Sheffield found a vehicle matching the description of the stolen U-Haul and attempted to pull it over.
The U-Haul driver failed to do so and instead fled the scene, police said.
A pursuit began, with the suspect leading officers into Illinois and Chicago limits. According to police, it was at that point, near 130th and Indiana, the suspect had difficulty with a curve and lost control of the U-Haul. The vehicle veered off the road and fell into the Little Calumet River.
The suspect escaped the submerging U-Haul and tried to swim away from police, the Hammond PD said.
Officers went into the river to rescue the suspect but could not find him, police said.
The Chicago Fire Department shortly responded to the scene and were able to recover the male suspect’s body.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. He has yet to be identified.
Police said there was a female passenger aboard the U-Haul in the beginning of the pursuit, but she eventually jumped out. She was soon located by Hammond Police and was taken in for questioning. Police did reveal the woman has an active arrest warrant tied to cocaine possession.
"Law enforcement engaged in a pursuit that concluded with the suspect fleeing into the Little Calumet River. Our officers worked tirelessly, but unfortunately, the outcome was tragic,” said Hammond Police Lieutenant Steve Kellogg.
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