A report of a stolen vehicle in La Porte County ended in an arrest of a La Porte man after a pursuit and stand-off Sunday, January 19.
According to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified of a stolen gray Buick Encore which had recently been reported as stolen to authorities in Porter County.
A deputy located the stolen vehicle traveling east on McClung Road. A high-risk traffic stop was initiated at the intersection of McClung Road and Park Street. After briefly stopping, the vehicle sped off resulting in a motor vehicle pursuit.
The pursuit covered several roads in the area. The pursuit continued north on Range Road and across all lanes of U.S. 20. The vehicle eventually collided with a utility pole on the northeast corner of the intersection and came to a stop.
Shortly after the collision, two deputies exited their vehicles and police say the driver displayed a weapon. The driver attempted to leave the scene, however, was unable to do so because of the disabling damage the vehicle had sustained in the crash, according to the report.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team and Hostage Crisis Negotiators were activated and responded to the scene. The westbound lanes of U.S. 20 were closed for scene security. Negotiators communicated with the driver on and off for nearly two hours before the subject was taken into custody.
The driver was identified as 36-year-old Derek E. Harrison, of La Porte. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Emergency Response Team members recovered a black BB gun resembling that of a Beretta handgun from within the interior of the vehicle, according to the report.
The necessary paperwork will be forwarded to the La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review of criminal charges and possible issuance of an arrest warrant.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
