State Police Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting, LaGrange County
LAGRANGE COUNTY — Investigators from the Indiana State Police, Fort Wayne, are investigating a police officer-involved shooting which stemmed from a vehicle pursuit originating in the Elkhart County town of Middlebury earlier this afternoon, Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Preliminary investigation indicates at approximately 3:30 p.m., a 1997 Chevrolet van driven by a 23 year old man from Goshen was traveling eastbound on CR 600S, west of CR 600W, just outside Topeka, at a high rate of speed.
Officers from the LaGrange Police Department had deployed stop sticks in an attempt to deflate the vehicle’s tires and slow the vehicle.
At some point, one of the LaGrange Police officers, fearing for his safety, fired multiple shots at the van. The van then struck a fence and came to a stop. The driver was not struck by the officer’s gunfire and was taken into custody after a taser was deployed by officers.
The driver, whose identity is still being confirmed, was taken to a local hospital and will be transferred to the LaGrange County Jail after treatment. No officers were injured during the incident. The identity of the officer is being withheld at this time.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available and confirmed.