Chicago man jumped into river after crashing vehicle twice, leading police on pursuit: police

A Chicago man is accused of jumping into a river after crashing his vehicle twice and leading Indiana State Police on a pursuit Saturday morning.

Iren L. Walker, 31, has been charged with resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, resisting law enforcement, operating while intoxicated, reckless driving, failure of duty at a crash and possession of marijuana. 

At 1:30 a.m. Saturday, an Indiana State Trooper was patrolling on I-80/94 when he observed a dark color Chevrolet traveling eastbound from Kennedy Avenue without any headlights, Indiana State Police said.

The trooper attempted to perform a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver accelerated and a pursuit was initiated.

The vehicle continued eastbound and struck the median wall, ISP said.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE

The trooper exited his patrol car to arrest the driver, but the driver was able to turn the vehicle around and began to travel westbound in the eastbound lanes.

The trooper saw the driver make another U-turn and go back eastbound again in the eastbound lanes and rear-ended another vehicle, ISP said.

The driver then exited the vehicle and fled on foot.

The trooper chased the suspect, who then jumped into the Little Calumet River and attemper to swim away.

The trooper was able to retrieve the suspect from the river and place him in handcuffs. 

While handcuffed, the suspect allegedly continued to resist arrest and attempted to crawl back into the river.

The suspect was treated for exposure to the cold elements as well as for the injuries sustained in the crashes, ISP said.

The suspect was then transported to a local hospital for treatment. At the hospital, the suspect gained access to hospital shears, but the trooper was able to disarm the suspect.

Lake CountyChicagoCrime and Public SafetyNews