On October 13, 2020, at 0142 hours, Fort Wayne Police officers were on routine patrol and observed a stolen vehicle driving in the area of South Anthony Boulevard and Pontiac Street.
Fort Wayne Police Department incident report:
Single Vehicle Fatal Crash
Date: October 13, 2020
Time: 0142 hours
Location: South Anthony Boulevard and Wayne Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Details/Summary:
On Tuesday, 10/13/2020, at approximately 1:42 AM, officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department were on routine patrol and observed a stolen vehicle driving in the area of South Anthony Blvd. and Pontiac Street. The officers conducted a traffic stop and the driver of the Kia Optima initially complied and pulled over. As the officers exited their patrol vehicle, the driver of the Kia accelerated and fled northbound on South Anthony Blvd. at a high rate of speed.
Officers returned to their vehicle and pursued the Kia for less than two minutes. At approximately 1:43 AM, the driver of the Kia lost control and left the roadway at the intersection of South Anthony Blvd. and Wayne Street. The vehicle struck a utility pole and then crashed into a building at 1718 East Berry Street. The vehicle caught fire upon crashing into the building. Officers quickly retrieved fire extinguishers from their patrol vehicle and extinguished the fire. The female/adult driver and male/adult front seat passenger were both pinned inside the vehicle. The Fort Wayne Fire Department extricated both subjects and they were transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.
South Anthony Blvd. will be closed to all traffic between Niagara Dive and East Washington Blvd. for several hours while Investigators process the scene and the utility pole is repaired.
This incident remains under investigation by the City of Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Coroner’s Office, and the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The Allen County Coroner’s Office will release the identity of the victim.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
All information is preliminary and subject to change during the course of the investigation.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 427-1201, Crime Stoppers at 436-7867, or use the free “P3 Tips” app.
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