SCHERERVILLE, Ind. -- A police chase in northern Indiana ended when the suspect drove his truck into oncoming traffic, hitting a police car head on.
Schererville police were called to a home Friday on the report of a domestic dispute. When they arrived, a man in a pickup truck was pulling away from the home.
Officers tried to stop him, but ended the pursuit when he began to drive erratically in a nearby neighborhood.
A short time later, officers spotted the truck again and gave chase.
This time, the man turned into oncoming traffic on 93rd Avenue in Crown Point, forcing several cars to swerve to avoid being hit, said Indiana State Police Sgt. Ann Wojas.
Crown Point police Officer John “Jack” Allendorf Jr. was responding to the chase when he said he saw the pickup coming straight at him.
He said he tried to get out of the way, but the driver of the pickup truck swerved toward his car and hit the officer nearly head-on.
Both Allendorf and the suspect had to be extricated from their vehicles.
Allendorf was transported to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point with a broken femur and broken ribs.
The suspect -- Timmy Todd Zieman, 32, of Crown Point -- was taken to South Lake Methodist Hospital and then airlifted to Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill.
Police said Zieman had tried to commit suicide at some time by stabbing himself with a pocketknife in the chest and cutting his throat.
12-07-2008, 05:42 PM
