PUBLIC SAFETY

DUI suspect crashes; explosion destroys squad car

Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com
A suspected drunken driver led police on a chase that ended in a fiery crash and explosion that destroyed a patrol car in rural Boone County Saturday.

A suspected drunken driver led police on a chase that ended in a fiery crash and explosion that destroyed a patrol car in rural Boone County over the weekend.

The chase began in Montgomery County when deputies tried to stop a suspected drunken driver in a Mercury Mountaineer.

The SUV driver raced east on I-74 and leading officers into Boone County at about 9 p.m. Saturday, the Boone County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The driver took the Ind. 75 exit north and led squads cars along rural roads and through the small town of Advance before turning south onto County Road 500 West.

With the suspect heading his way, Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Logan Campbell parked his squad car and got out to deploy a tire-deflation device at 500 West and Budd Road.

The speeding Mercury driver swerved to avoid the spike sticks and struck the rear end of Campbell’s patrol vehicle.

Both vehicles were thrown into a nearby field; the Mercury overturned. Deputies pulled the driver out of the Mercury shortly before the Mercury and the Boone County sheriff's vehicle were engulfed in flames.

James Patrick McCue, 19, Mahomet, Ill., was treated at IU Health Methodist Hospital for a cut to the head, broken teeth, abdominal pain and cuts and bruises to his legs.

Charges were pending, police said.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @vicryc.

A suspected drunken driver led police on a chase that ended in a fiery crash and explosion that destroyed a patrol car in rural Boone County Saturday.
A suspected drunken driver led police on a chase that ended in a fiery crash and explosion that destroyed a patrol car in rural Boone County Saturday.