ISP: Deadly crash stemmed from Henry Co. chase

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State Police are investigating a crash that killed a man after a pursuit that started in Henry County Monday evening.

The crash happened at 9:42 p.m. at the intersection of E. Washington St. and N. Mitthoefer Rd.

According to ISP, around 9:15 p.m. the Henry County Sheriff’s Office attempted to pull over a maroon Dodge Durango on State Road 3 near Indiana Ave in New Castle. The Durango sped away, leading to a chase that entered I-70 westbound, through Hancock County and into Marion County.

“We believe it started as a traffic violation,” said Sgt. John Perrine with ISP. “This is the aftermath of a very lengthy pursuit involving multiple police agencies that ended with a very big crash.”

The vehicle exited I-70, headed north on Post Road and eventually came back south towards the intersection of Washington Street and Mitthoefer Road. ISP said the Durango went through the intersection at an “extreme speed” and struck a Mustang and a BMW.

The Durango flipped multiple times before landing upside down.

Police said there were four people in the SUV, including a man who died after being ejected from the vehicle. The other three occupants were taken to the hospital. Investigators are working to determine who was driving the vehicle.

“There were people entrapped in the vehicle that had to be extricated by the fire department,” Perrine said.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the man who died as 33-year-old Dewuan L. Hampton.

State police said the driver of the Mustang was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the BMW suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Perrine said ISP personnel lost sight of the Durango and were getting ready to call off the pursuit when the crash happened.

“Right now, the indication is that we did not have a trooper with visibility of the vehicle at the time of the crash and we were in the process of terminating the pursuit prior to the crash,” Perrine said.

He said several weapons were found lying in the street.

“There are multiple weapons spread throughout this crash scene that fell out of the vehicle. They include both handguns and rifles,” Perrine said.

Two of the people in the Durango remained hospitalized. No arrests have been made and the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation. ISP is the lead investigative agency.