Indiana high-speed police chase ends with two arrests

Two people were arrested following a high-speed chase that spanned two northwest Indiana counties early Tuesday morning.

The pursuit began around 2:06 a.m. on Interstate 80 in Gary, when an Indiana State Police trooper noticed a black Toyota speeding.

According to ISP, the Toyota was clocked going 110 mph in a 55 mph zone in Lake Station before speeding to 133 mph as the trooper attempted to phone in the license plate.

When the officer activated his emergency lights, the driver appeared to slow down before abruptly changing lanes and accelerating, reaching speeds of 120 mph and shutting off the vehicle’s headlights while going east on Interstate 94.

The pursuit continued into Porter County, where ISP reported the car weaving through light traffic at speeds of up to 135 mph. Portage police officers who were ahead of the pursuit utilized stop sticks near the 21-mile marker, but the car kept going, reaching speeds of around 140 mph when its tires failed.

The vehicle eventually lost several tires and came to a halt in Chesterton. According to the ISP, four persons were inside the vehicle and were detained without additional incident.

The driver, Carmela Maureen Pantoja of Elkhart, was 20 years old and displayed signs of alcohol impairment, according to ISP. After failing several field sobriety tests, she was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.09% in the Porter County jail.

A search of the vehicle reportedly yielded many containers of beer and a small amount of suspected marijuana.

According to ISP, Pantoja is still in detention on the following preliminary charges:

Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 5 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 6 Felony
Operating While Intoxicated Endangering – Class A Misdemeanor
Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor
Operating While Intoxicated – Class C Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving – Class C Misdemeanor
Minor Consumption – Class C Misdemeanor

A passenger, 23-year-old Maliek M. Long of Elkhart, was also arrested on multiple outstanding warrants for charges including escape, resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident, and marijuana possession.

Two additional passengers were discharged at the scene.