INDIANAPOLIS — A high-speed interstate pursuit involving a stolen vehicle ended with a vehicle submerged in Fall Creek on Sept. 13, leading to the arrest of a wanted fugitive and leaving a 14-year-old passenger in critical condition.
The Indiana State Police identified the driver as Alexis Pinto, 20, of Baltimore, Maryland. Pinto, who has active felony arrest warrants related to child sex crimes, remains hospitalized under police surveillance with non-life-threatening injuries. His passenger, a 14-year-old girl from New Jersey, remains hospitalized in very critical condition.
The incident began shortly after 9:00 a.m. when an automated license plate reader camera alerted a nearby state trooper to a black 2010 Toyota Sequoia near I-70 and Post Road. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Illinois earlier that morning.
When the trooper located the SUV and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Pinto fled westbound on I-70. State police noted that the pursuing officer had no knowledge of who was inside the vehicle during the chase.
As the pursuit approached downtown Indianapolis, Pinto turned the stolen SUV onto northbound I-65, driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes. Due to the extreme danger to public safety, the trooper terminated the chase.
A short time later, the vehicle crashed and became fully submerged in Fall Creek near I-65 and 21st Street.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel spotted Pinto swimming toward the shoreline, where he was immediately taken into custody. Believing another passenger was trapped, first responders from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) plunged into the water to rescue the 14-year-old victim from the wreckage.
Emergency crews with IFD and Indianapolis EMS provided immediate medical attention at the scene before transporting the teenager to a local hospital.
The incident remains an active criminal investigation led by Indiana State Police detectives and crash reconstructionists.
