(MUNSTER) — A northwestern Indiana man was shot and wounded by a state trooper early Tuesday after he allegedly wedged the officer between his vehicle and the officer’s cruiser following a vehicle pursuit, police said.
Eric R. Douglas of Crown Point and the trooper were both treated for non-life-threatening injuries following the incident, police said. Douglas, 30, was being held at the Lake County jail for probable cause in the police pursuit and active warrants in Porter and Marion counties.
Indiana State Police said Munster police began pursuing a Nissan sedan about 12:30 a.m. CDT following reports that it had been involved in suspicious activity at a Munster residence.
The driver, later identified as Douglas, fled police at a high rate of speed while driving without the vehicle’s headlights activated before he allegedly tried to ram a Munster police car, police said.
State police then joined the pursuit, which continued onto Interstate 80 until the suspect’s vehicle exited the freeway and crashed at a roundabout, drove a short distance and stopped.
A state trooper then pulled his cruiser next to the sedan, exited it, and tried to take Douglas into custody, but police said Douglas moved the sedan forward, striking the trooper and wedging him between the sedan and the cruiser.
The trooper, still trapped between the vehicles, then shot at the driver through the sedan’s windshield, striking Douglas. Police said three passengers in the sedan were not injured.
Police said the trooper’s name would be released Thursday.
