The Starke County man police say carjacked three vehicles and led police from multiple agencies on a four-county high-speed chase this afternoon is in critical condition at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. after shooting himself while trying to flee. Information released by the Indiana State Police, Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Starke County Prosecutor’s Office indicates the 57-year-old man was involved in a homicide at a home in Knox. Afterward, he drove his personal vehicle to Mark Bailey’s Discount Center and carjacked a motorist at gunpoint at 3:41 p.m. He then drove to English Lake, dumped his passenger and stole a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
It broke down on State Road 8 in Porter County. According to the state police, two men were leaving the house in a 1988 GMC Sierra pickup truck and stopped to see if he needed help. They called 911 at 4:04 p.m. to report the man man brandished the weapon and stole their truck. Hebron Police and deputies from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department joined the chase, which continued into Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department, their aircraft and officers from the Crown Point Police Department joined the pursuit. Officers threw out stop sticks at the intersection of Maine and 109th Streets, flattening the truck’s two front tires. The driver kept going onto Interstate 65, which had been shut down by Indiana State Police. They say he tried to make a U-turn and got stuck in the gravel. He shot himself once as officers were approaching. He was flown from Franciscan St. Anthony Health in Crown Point to the facility in Oak Lawn.
After the pursuit ended, deputies in Starke County checked his home in California Township and found a dead woman. Her name and age have not been released, and authorities did not comment on the nature of her relationship to the man. We’ve left a message for Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells for information about her cause of death. Investigators in Starke County are obtaining warrants to search the residence and vehicles. They cannot comment as to whether either had a prior criminal history. We will update this story throughout the weekend as more information becomes available.
