Illinois Man Arrested Following La Porte County Pursuit

Michael Flagg

An Illinois man was arrested Monday after a pursuit in La Porte County.

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Department was notified just after 2 a.m. CT that a New Carlisle Police officer was attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes in the area of State Road 2 and County Road 900 E.  A sheriff’s deputy joined in the pursuit near U.S. 20 and County Road 350 East.

Police say the fleeing vehicle avoided two sets of tire deflation devices on U.S. 20 and eventually merged onto I-94 westbound.  Another set of tire deflation devices was avoided until the driver reached the 25-mile marker when the vehicle ran over the device.  The tire began to fall off the wheel which caused the vehicle to spin out of control a few miles down the road.  The vehicle struck the driver’s side of a patrol vehicle and then came to rest, according to the report.  There were no injuries reported.

The driver, 36-year-old Michael Flagg, of Chicago, Illinois was taken into custody.  He was arrested on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, and reckless driving.  He has a $755 cash-only bond through La Porte Superior Court IV.

The New Carlisle Police Department and the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by the Indiana State Police, Porter County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan City Police Department, and the Burns Harbor Police Department.

Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.