News Release

KENDALLVILLE —  A LaOtto Man is facing numerous charges after leading police on a lengthy chase that ended in gunfire.

Indiana State Police detectives are conducting an investigation into an overnight police action shooting in Kendallville. 

The incident began as a police vehicle pursuit in Fort Wayne, running through several counties, where multiple police agencies became involved. The pursuit ended with a traffic stop in Kendallville that resulted in an exchange of gunfire initiated by the driver.

The incident began shortly after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, when officers from the Fort Wayne Police Department attempted to stop a Buick passenger car for a reckless driving violation on the northwest side of Fort Wayne. The driver, later identified as Justin Robert Weikel, 40, of LaOtto, initially stopped for the officer, but then sped off from the traffic stop as the officer was walking up to the car, which then initiated a vehicle pursuit.

This police pursuit ran through northern Allen, DeKalb and Noble counties for nearly 45 minutes. Multiple law enforcement agencies became involved, including Fort Wayne Police, Indiana State Police, Noble and DeKalb County sheriff departments and Kendallville Police. 

The pursuit terminated at approximately 12:15 a.m. when Weikel’s vehicle came to a stop on Waits Road on the south side of Kendallville.

During the course of the traffic stop, Weikel (the sole occupant) refused to exit the vehicle and began shooting at officers from inside his vehicle. Multiple officers returned fire. The suspect continued shooting at officers from inside the vehicle.  Officers quickly transitioned to set up a secure perimeter around the traffic stop in order to contain the situation and protect the surrounding residents, as well as themselves. SWAT officers from both Fort Wayne Police and Indiana State Police were called in to resolve the situation.

At approximately 1:45 a.m., SWAT officers from Fort Wayne Police were able to successfully take the suspect driver into custody.

After being taken into custody, Weikel was then immediately tended to by paramedics. He was transported from the scene via ambulance to a Fort Wayne area hospital. 

The extent of his injuries was unknown at the time of transport. He was reported as being in stable condition at the time of this release.

No officers nor civilians were injured during this incident.

Weikel was found to have an outstanding felony arrest warrant out of Noble County.