Chicago man charged with fleeing police after keys allegedly found in underwear
Baylen J. Clark | Indiana State Police
SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A Chicago man faces multiple charges after his denial of starting a police chase on the Indiana Toll Road ended with him getting caught walking with the car keys inside his underwear, police said.
Baylen J. Clark, 31, was charged with a felony count of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop at 2:57 a.m. Wednesday at the 3.2-mile marker on the Indiana Toll Road, according to a statement from Indiana State Police.
State troopers saw a 2011 Audi A8 weaving around and unsafely crossing lanes, police said. A male driver and a female passenger were inside.
The car sped up to 140 mph once troopers tried to pull it over, police said. It left the interstate at the Cline Avenue exit and drove west on Gary Avenue, running red lights and stop signs until crossing into East Chicago. Then it doubled back and went south on Cline Avenue before exiting west at 5th Avenue.
At one point, the Audi was blocked by a train and U-turned over a concrete median to continue the escape, police said.
Troopers lost the Audi near Carroll Street and Truman Street in Hammond, police said. Hammond police found the car, however, abandoned at 3:24 a.m. in the 1500 block of Truman and White Oak.
Soon after, the state troopers saw Clark and a female walking from a gas station in the 1400 block of Michigan Street, police said. They both denied being in the Audi and said they were at the store to buy snacks.
Troopers determined Clark was high and discovered he was carrying cannabis with him, police said. They arrested him and found the key fob to the Audi inside his underwear.
The female was not arrested, police said.
Police said in addition to the charge of fleeing law enforcement, Clark faces misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, possessing marijuana, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and false information to police.