Lisa Trigg
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
A 17-year-old juvenile remains hospitalized after being seriously injured following a Sunday afternoon incident involving a stolen truck and a failed train-hopping escape.
Because he is a juvenile, authorities cannot release his name, the extent of his injuries or his condition, said Assistant Chief Shawn Keen of the Terre Haute Police Department on Tuesday. However, he indicated the teen is in for a long recovery.
Keen said the juvenile suspect faces possible charges of receiving stolen property, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, driving while intoxicated, railroad trespass and driver never licensed.
The pickup truck driven by the suspect was taken from a residence in the 1900 block of North 23rd Street sometime Saturday or Sunday. Keen said the truck owner was not at home during part of the weekend and was unaware that the truck had been stolen until being notified by police.
The truck keys were taken from inside the home, Keen said, so police are also investigating that home’s burglary and the vehicle theft. It is unknown when the suspect came into possession of the truck.
At about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the suspect crashed the truck into a home on South 131⁄2 Street just north of Margaret Avenue. The suspect fled the scene on foot, leaving three occupants inside the truck. Those people, two adult females and another juvenile all with Terre Haute addresses, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. The crash report indicates they were not wearing safety restraints, Keen said.
Police reported that the suspect had been driving north on South 131⁄2 Street when he made a U-turn and headed south, running into the side of a house. Keen said Tuesday that police were unaware of the reason for the U-turn.
A witness at the scene told the Tribune-Star that after the crash, the driver ran through the neighborhood, crossing South 14th Street near the railroad crossing north of Margaret Avenue. The suspect jumped onto a slow-moving train that was traveling south on the tracks, but then he “tumbled back off,” according to the witness.
Keen said one of the people who witnessed the crash pursued the suspect after he ran from the scene.
It was unknown when charges would be filed against the suspect, Keen said, or if the charges would go to juvenile court or be bumped into Vigo Superior Court 5, as is the case with most charges of driving while intoxicated. That decision will be made by the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police have not released the names of the three passengers in the truck, pending conclusion of the investigation.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
