Most of Interstate 65 between State Road 44 and Hurricane Road was closed following a crash Wednesday night.
INDOT photo
By Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
ncrenshaw@dailyjournal.net
A Chicago man died in a police pursuit that culminated in a crash on Interstate 65 just north of Franklin on Wednesday night.
Marco Antonio Pena Morales, 30, died in the crash, according to the Johnson County Coroner’s office. Police say he was a suspect fleeing an attempted traffic stop that began in Indianapolis.
Just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department homicide detective was near East 21st Street and North Emerson Avenue when they observed a “known aggravated assault suspect” drive by in a truck. The detective requested assistance from East District officers in conducting a traffic stop on the truck. Officers in fully-marked police vehicles tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect — Morales — did not stop and led officers on a lengthy vehicle pursuit, according to a statement from the department.
This pursuit eventually made it to Johnson County via I-65.
While driving on northbound I-65, officers attempted a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, on the truck, but the suspect was able to maneuver out of the spin and continued driving. A short time later, near the 92-mile marker just north of Franklin, the truck went off the road, struck a concrete culvert and went airborne before landing in the ditch, where it caught fire, according to IMPD.
Morales, who was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, was declared dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved in this crash, IMPD says.
IMPD crash investigators responded to investigate the scene. The pursuit will be investigated by the IMPD Internal Affairs Unit for adherence to department policies, as is standard procedure. The Johnson County Coroner’s Office assisted with transporting Morales to the Marion County Coroner’s Office. The Marion County Coroner’s Office will determine the exact manner and cause of death, according to IMPD.
A search of online court records shows at least four pending warrants for criminal cases filed in Johnson and Marion counties. The cases range from a probation violation for carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction in Marion County to possession of methamphetamine in Johnson County to driving while suspended with past convictions in Marion County. He was also previously convicted of burglary in Marion County.
The crash closed nearly all lanes of I-65 just north of Franklin for several hours overnight Wednesday into Thursday between State Road 44/King Street and Hurricane Road.
