GARY, Ind. — A man who told police he feared gangbangers were chasing him stole a squad car and led police on a chase on the Indiana Toll Road, authorities said.
Danny Ware, 39, of Winkelman, Ariz., was being held without bond Sunday in Lake County Jail. He was arrested Friday on preliminary charges of auto theft, fleeing, resisting law enforcement, driving with a suspended license and criminal mischief.
Ware walked into a Gary police station Friday and said he was afraid gangbangers had followed him from a bus station in Chicago to the Gary bus terminal, said Gary police Cmdr. Samuel Roberts. Ware asked for a police escort back to the bus station, and Cpl. Jeffery Patrick prepared to give him a ride.
Roberts said there was no evidence Ware was being pursued by anyone and officers were concerned about his mental stability.
While Patrick left his car running and locked outside the police station and went inside to talk to desk workers, Ware broke out a car window with a fire extinguisher and drove away, Roberts said.
"One of the desk workers yelled, 'He just broke your car window,"' Roberts said.
Gary and state police began chasing Ware, pleading over the radio for him to stop. Instead, Ware turned onto the Indiana Toll Road, first heading east, then west, then hitting a guardrail and turning east again, police said.
Ware surrendered and was arrested in LaPorte County about 40 minutes after he took the car, when he saw police had put stop sticks out on the pavement that would have burst the squad car's tires, police said.
Roberts said department officials will investigate why the squad car was left locked and running, which he said is against procedure even though some officers have two sets of keys.
"Vehicles are not allowed to be left running and unattended," he said. "The patrol commander will be looking into the matter as to why this occurred."
Wire Service
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
Wire Service
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops