On March 1, 2022 at approximately 2:31PM the West Lafayette Police Department received a citizen report of a reckless driver that was coming into West Lafayette from Lafayette on Sagamore Pkwy. The vehicle was described as a silver Chevrolet Malibu and it was reported that the driver was driving very erratically and cutting off other vehicles on the road. The witness reported that the driver pulled into the McDonalds parking lot on Sagamore Pkwy in West Lafayette.
WLPD Officers arrived moments later and observed the vehicle just as it was leaving the parking lot. The driver, a black male, nearly caused several collisions as he left the parking lot and proceeded westbound again on Sagamore Pkwy. The vehicle sped away westbound at a very high rate of speed and darting dangerously between other vehicles on the roadway, but officers were not able to safely follow and stop the car due to heavy traffic conditions.
Moments later, the same vehicle disregarded a red traffic signal at the intersection of Northwestern Ave and Lindberg Rd and collided with another vehicle in the intersection. The driver, as well as two passengers who were in the Malibu, jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee the scene. WLPD Officers, along with two off-duty Indiana State Police troopers who’d been in the area, engaged in a foot pursuit with the suspects and were able to successfully capture both passengers from the Malibu.
The driver of the Malibu jumped into the driver's seat of a red Ford Focus, which had been left running in the parking lot at the Village Bottle Shoppe while its owner was observing the crash scene. The owner of the car struggled with the suspect for a moment trying to keep him from taking the car and other witnesses on scene alerted officers that someone was attempting to steal the car. As officers closed in on the vehicle the suspect backed out of a parking space and then drove over a curb and through the grass to escape; nearly striking three police officers and the vehicle owner in the process.
WLPD officers, assisted by ISP and a Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Deputy, began pursuing the suspect in the now-stolen red Ford Focus. Meanwhile, the passengers who’d been riding with the suspect alleged that the suspect may be armed with a handgun. Officers continued to chase the stolen car through West Lafayette, eventually crossing the State St bridge and entering downtown Lafayette. The pursuit became far too dangerous for the public, however, and officers terminated the chase.
A short time later, the Lafayette Police Department began receiving information that the suspect had abandoned the stolen Ford Focus in an alley off N 13th St behind St. Mary Cathedral Elementary School. He then stole yet another vehicle, a blue Buick Regal, from behind the school.
At this time, neither the suspect nor the stolen Buick have been located.
The passengers, who’d been in the vehicle at the time of the original crash and fled, were both arrested and transported to the Tippecanoe County Jail. Their preliminary charges are as follows:
Gramm W. Smith Age: 29
6917 Baldwin Dr E Battleground, IN
Chages: Resisting Law Enforcement
Elisha I. Barry Age: 24
4453 Antler Way Lafayette, IN
Charges: Resisting Law Enforcement
It should also be noted that a loaded handgun was recovered in the Malibu along with a quantity of suspected methamphetamine. More suspected methamphetamine and hypodermic needles were found in the area where the suspects fled after the original crash.
The investigations into these incidents are ongoing and anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the West Lafayette Police Department at 765 775-5200 or the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME for a possible reward.
The fact a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
|