A driver fleeing from police in a stolen car struck a utility pole as well as another vehicle early Thursday in Highland according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. The driver is still at large.
Just after 2 a.m., an officer with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department spotted a white 2020 Hyundai Elantra with a broken rear passenger side window turning west on Ridge Road from Vermont Street in Gary. The officer observed that the vehicle description matched that of a car that had been reported stolen.
When the officer tried to catch up to the Hyundai, the driver accelerated at a high rate of speed, police said. The officer was able to confirm the license plate on the speeding car also matched the stolen car. When the officer began to pursue the Hyundai, the driver continued to speed up and disregard several stop signs and red traffic lights; eventually reaching Highland, police said.
At Ridge Road and Indianapolis Boulevard, the driver of the Hyundai disregarded a red traffic signal and collided with another vehicle. The impact pushed the Hyundai into a utility pole. The stolen car veered up a cable supporting the utility pole; which snapped the pole in half and caused electrical wires to break free and fall to the ground, police said.
When the officer could safely approach the vehicle, he observed there was no one inside. The officer deployed his K-9 and an aviation unit helicopter also assisted in searching for the fleeing suspect. That driver was not located.
The driver of the vehicle hit by the stolen Hyundai refused medical treatment at the scene, police said.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company was contacted to repair the utility pole and power lines.
The case is under investigation.