Pursuit, crash, arrests Friday

An Indiana State Police trooper was patrolling Friday afternoon near the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and State Road 15 when he observed two white Chrysler 300s commit several moving violations. 

The trooper positioned behind both vehicles and activated his emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop.

Immediately after emergency lights were activated, the rear Chrysler 300 accelerated abruptly, made unsafe lane changes that cut off other motorists, and entered the center turn lane.  After observing these violations, the trooper then initiated a pursuit of that vehicle.  The Chrysler 300 continued southbound on State Road 15, traveling over 100 miles per hour in the center turn lane.  Due to increasing traffic congestion and concerns for public safety, the pursuit was terminated.

Moments later, the trooper observed white smoke near the intersection of Detroit Street and Fort Wayne Street.  Upon arriving at the scene, he found that the Chrysler 300 had collided with a Ford F-150 and a Cadillac SUV, both of which were stopped in the southbound lanes.  Despite the crash, the Chrysler 300’s driver continued attempting to accelerate through the Ford F-150 but was unable to flee.

After realizing escape was no longer possible, the female passenger exited the vehicle and surrendered immediately.  As the trooper and a Warsaw Police Department officer initiated a felony stop, the driver exited, refused verbal commands, and reached back into the vehicle before ultimately fleeing on foot.  Multiple Warsaw Police Department officers pursued and took the suspect into custody without further incident.

The driver was identified as David Gabriel Rodriguez Jr., 21, of Silver Lake.  The female passenger was transported to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the crash.  Rodriguez Jr. was eventually arrested and transported to the Kosciusko County Jail.  The charges submitted against Rodriguez Jr. were: 

•  Resisting Law Enforcement with a vehicle (Level 6 Felony)
•  Resisting Law Enforcement (Class A Misdemeanor)
•  Reckless Driving with Injury (Class A Misdemeanor)
•  Leaving the scene of a crash with injury (Class A Misdemeanor)
•  Leaving the scene of a crash property damage (Class B Misdemeanor)
•  Speed Contest (Class B Misdemeanor)
•  Operating with no financial responsibility prior (Class C Misdemeanor)

The Indiana State Police were assisted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Warsaw Police Department, Warsaw Fire Department, and Lutheran EMS.