Indiana Chase Ends in Wreck, Death of Wanted Man
INDIANAPOLIS — A man with a long rap sheet—including convictions for assaulting police, drug offenses, and weapons charges—died Wednesday night after leading officers on a high-speed chase through Indianapolis and into Johnson County.
Marco Antonio Pena Morales was wanted for aggravated assault when an IMPD detective spotted him driving a truck near East 21st and Emerson around 9 p.m. Officers tried to pull him over, but he took off, sparking a pursuit through city streets and onto I-65.
The Johnson County Coroner identified him on Thursday as a Chicago man.
Police attempted a PIT maneuver to stop him, but Morales kept going. Near mile marker 92, the truck flew off the road, hit a concrete culvert, went airborne, and landed in a ditch—then burst into flames. Morales, the only person in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.
His family says they were jolted awake by a call from police in the early morning hours. His mother, who speaks limited English, said her son “treated everyone fairly.” A man identifying as his brother described him as having a “short temper.”
IMPD’s Internal Affairs is now reviewing the chase, and accident investigators are piecing together what happened.
Indiana Chase Ends in Wreck, Death of Wanted Man was originally published on wibc.com
