Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
A 15-minute, 15-mile chase that sent Fort Wayne police into DeKalb County on Thursday ended when the driver lost control of his fleeing Jeep, which flipped on a gravel road north of Garrett.
The driver, Kyle Berger, 21, was flown to a Fort Wayne hospital in serious condition with head injuries after emergency crews removed him from his sport utility vehicle, where he was trapped, according to DeKalb County sheriff’s Deputy Mike Keesler.
A Fort Wayne officer tried to pull Berger over about 1:15 p.m. in the 14000 block of Coldwater Road, according to officer Michael Joyner, Fort Wayne Police Department spokesman.
Someone had flagged down a Fort Wayne sergeant to report that the Jeep was being driven erratically, Joyner said.
Instead of stopping, Berger fled north on Coldwater Road into DeKalb County, police said, and Allen County officers gave chase.
The Fort Wayne man reached speeds of 60 to 65 mph as he fled along Indiana 327, according to police. When he came to Garrett, he accelerated to 70 mph. Garrett police officers set out stop sticks and managed to deflate one of the SUV’s tires.
Police expected Berger to crash about three miles north of Garrett, where Indiana 327 curves sharply, Keesler said.
But the Jeep skipped the turn and continued north on County Road 11, which is a gravel road. When he hit the unpaved road, Berger lost control, swerved and struck a tree about 1:30 p.m. between DeKalb County roads 32 and 28, Keesler said.
When police arrived, Berger was trapped in the upside-down Jeep.
In addition to any charges from Fort Wayne police, Berger will face a charge in DeKalb County of resisting law enforcement, Keesler said.
