Jared Tomas Gonzalez, 25, of Gary, and Terrell Zair Samuels, 20, of East Chicago, are facing felony charges in connection with a Christmas Day police pursuit that began in Griffith and ended in a wreck in Gary, according to court filings.
According to the probable cause affidavits, at around 2:28 a.m. on December 25, 2025, a Griffith police officer was parked in a fully marked patrol vehicle near the 800 block of East Ridge Road when he noticed a maroon 2009 Honda CR-V driving eastbound without its taillights or license plate lights turned on. The officer noted that the vehicle was occupied by two Black males wearing hooded sweatshirts, both leaning back in their seats as they passed the patrol vehicle.
The officer pursued the car and attempted a traffic stop near the intersection of East Ridge Road and North Glenwood Street. According to the affidavits, the driver briefly actuated his stop lights before continuing eastbound. Emergency lights and sirens were triggered, but the vehicle escaped, leading officers on a pursuit through many intersections.
According to court records, the car exceeded 90 mph, disregarded a four-way stop sign between Ridge Road and Clark Street, and blew a red traffic signal at Chase Street. The pursuit continued into Gary, with the vehicle reaching speeds of around 98 mph. While attempting to turn north onto Richard Gordon Hatcher Boulevard (Grant Street), the driver lost control and collided with a utility pole, rendering the vehicle inoperable.
Following the incident, cops instructed the occupants to remain inside the vehicle and display their hands. According to the affidavits, both individuals exited the front seats and moved to the back of the vehicle. One person pressed his hands on the rear driver’s side glass, while another extended his hands out the rear passenger’s side window, clutching a cellphone.
One person was held on the back passenger side and identified as Terrell Zair Samuels based on his Indiana identity card and his own admission. The second person was apprehended on the rear driver’s side and identified as Jared Tomas Gonzalez using his Indiana driver’s license and his own admission. Officers noticed Gonzalez had blood flowing from his nose and lips, and medics were called to the site.
Both males were apprehended, searched, and read their Miranda rights individually. According to the affidavits, officers asked if there were any firearms inside the vehicle, but neither subject responded.
Police discovered that neither Samuels nor Gonzalez was the registered owner of the Honda CR-V. After the car was towed, an inventory search was performed in accordance with department procedure. During the search, cops discovered two Glock .40-caliber handguns on the vehicle’s front floorboards.
One pistol, a Glock Model 23 Gen 4, was found on the driver’s side floorboard, with a live round chambered and a loaded magazine inserted. Officers reported that the weapon was equipped with an auto sear modification, also known as a “switch,” which converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun. A second pistol, a Glock Model 35 Gen 4, was found on the passenger’s side floorboard and had an auto sear modification.
Officers also discovered a transparent bag containing roughly 9.9 grams of a brown and green plant-like substance behind the driver’s seat, which tested positive for marijuana. Two telephones were found in the vehicle and recognized as belonging to the defendants.
According to the affidavits, Samuels informed officers that he had no idea who owned the automobile, saying, “I don’t know some girl.” Both Samuels and Gonzalez declined to make any more statements. According to court records, both boys denied driving the Honda during the collision, and detectives seized airbags and windshield evidence for prospective DNA tests.
Both guys were taken to a Gary hospital for medical assessment before being sent to the Lake County Jail. Investigators then examined social media videos of a man believed to be Samuels brandishing a Glock handgun with a switch modification. According to court documents, Samuels was also wanted for a firearms charge in another state at the time of the event.
Both suspects are being held in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed on December 26, 2025.
• Possession of a Machine Gun – Level 5 Felony
• Resisting Law Enforcement Using a Vehicle – Level 6 Felony
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