State Police say that charges are pending after a crash on I-80/94 involving a passenger who said he was being held against his will. Wednesday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m., the Indiana State Police Lowell Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a passenger in a vehicle that was traveling on I-80/94 near the 10 mile-marker. The caller reported that he was being held against his will in a vehicle that had been taken for a test drive by the suspect. The suspect was reported to be driving at a high rate of speed and refused to pull over to let the victim get out of the vehicle. The vehicle, a 2009 Kia Borrego, had been taken for a test drive with the salesperson from a dealership in Hobart.
Police say while the caller was on 911 with dispatchers, the driver of the Kia rear-ended a semi-trailer at a high rate of speed. The impact resulted in the car catching on fire and the victim being partially trapped inside of the vehicle. The victim was pulled out of the vehicle by Good Samaritans who stopped to help as troopers helped and put out the vehicle fire. The driver of the Kia, later identified as 29 year old LaDarien D. Gregory, of Hammond, was located walking away from the scene. Both the suspect and victim were transported to a Gary Hospital for treatment. The driver of the semi was not injured. The victim was later flown to Loyola University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The suspect has since been released and transported to the Lake County Jail. Gregory is being held on a probable cause hold for charges to be determined by the Lake County Prosecutor.