IMPD: Dispute between drivers led to pursuit, fiery interstate crash

INDIANAPOLIS – It appeared a case of road rage may have led to a police pursuit that ended in a fiery interstate crash on the west side on Monday morning. FOX59/CBS4 first learned about the incident after an early morning crash on northbound I-465 involving a vehicle that rolled over and caught fire near the Crawfordsville Road exit (exit 16A)/I-74. Indianapolis Metropolitan police said the crash stemmed from a police pursuit. In a later update, IMPD revealed it started around 3:20 a.m. Monday in the 6700 block of West Street with a dispute between two drivers. Southwest District officers responded to a “moving disturbance” involving a pair of vehicles: a Lincoln Town Car and a Kia Sorrento. Dispatchers reported that the driver of the Kia was “aggressively” following the other vehicle and had “displayed a firearm.” Both vehicles exited onto I-465 northbound. Dispatchers told officers that the Kia was “driving aggressively” and had hit the Lincoln. Officers located both vehicles on I-465 and attempted a traffic stop. Both drivers initially slowed down near the Crawfordsville Road overpass, but the driver of the Kia took off, leading to a pursuit. Because of Monday morning’s foggy conditions, officers quickly lost sight of the Kia. Not far down the road, police found the SUV on its side, having struck an attenuator and concrete barrier. The driver, a woman, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by the fire department. She was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, police said. The crash closed the exit ramp to I-74 westbound for a few hours. It reopened around 7:10 a.m. The IMPD Traffic Unit arrived and was assigned to investigate. The IMPD Internal Affairs Unit will also conduct an internal administrative investigation.