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Last updated on Monday, May 15, 2017
(JACKSON CO.) - An Illinois man is accused of carjacking a vehicle in Columbus before leading police on a chase into Jackson County that exceeded speeds of 100 mph.
Officers with the Columbus Police Department were dispatched around 12 p.m. Sunday to a gas station in the 3300 block of West Jonathan Moore Pike in response to a carjacking. The driver told police a man approached him with his hand in his jacket, making it look like he had a gun. The man threatened to hurt the driver if he didn't give him his keys.
The driver handed over the keys to his Dodge Caravan and the suspect took off from the gas station parking lot.
An Indiana State Police trooper eventually spotted the stolen van traveling south on I-65 near the 44 mile marker.
Attempts to get the vehicle to stop proved unsuccessful, and the van continued at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.
The driver exited the highway at mile marker 36 and ended up on U.S. 31. Where he pulled the vehicle over and was arrested without incident.
Police identified the driver as 33-year-old Matthew Kuechner, of Orland Park, Ill.
He was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of auto theft, intimidation and battery. He's also expected to face charges in Jackson County, including resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.
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