Deputies arrested an Indiana man over the weekend after he tried to get a Dodge Charger to race him without realizing that the car was actually an unmarked LaPort County Sheriff’s Office vehicle, according to authorities.
Deputy Jim Fish was driving north on Indiana State Road 39 near the Indiana Toll Road when he saw a black Dodge Charger pull up quickly behind his unmarked Sheriff’s Office car, deputies said. He moved to put space between the cars and watched as the Charger behind him pulled forward and sped past him, officials said.
According to Fish, the black Charger drifted in and out of lanes at speeds exceeding 70 mph.
Fish turned on his car’s flashing emergency lights and gave chase, deputies said.
The black Charger eventually pulled into a yard and the driver, identified as 40-year-old Eugene Thome, ran from the area, according to officials. After running about 100 yards, he obeyed Fish’s order to stop and deputies took him into custody.
Authorities determined that Thome was wanted on a felony warrant. Deputies also learned that he was a habitual traffic violator. He was arrested on two counts of resisting law enforcement, among other charges.
In a police report, Fish wrote that Thome admitted he was trying to race before he realized that the car he had targeted was actually a law enforcement vehicle. He told Fish he fled because he knew that he was wanted and because of his habitual traffic violator status.
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