Indiana State Police: Man stole trooper’s vehicle

INDIANAPOLIS — A man stole an Indiana State Police vehicle on Wednesday.

According to ISP, troopers were in Indianapolis to serve a search warrant at a residence when the alleged theft occurred. While troopers were outside the residence they were attempting to search, a man came by the scene, climbed into an ISP vehicle and drove away.

State police reported that troopers witnessed the alleged theft as it happened. Those troopers then followed the alleged thief, stopped him a few blocks away from where he reportedly took the car and arrested him.

ISP indicated that its car sustained minor damage during the incident. None of the items that were inside the car when it was taken have been reported missing.

Per ISP, neither the suspect nor troopers involved in the incident were injured.

“You never want to underestimate people, but it is a surprising thing when something like this happens,” Indiana State Police Sergeant John Perrine said in an interview with FOX59/CBS4. “It’s not OK, and there’s gonna be consequences for it. So, we’re certainly glad that we were able to catch him, and we’re even happier that he didn’t hurt anybody.”

ISP reported that the man who allegedly stole the cop car was transported to jail after the incident. State police indicated that the man faces “several” preliminary charges.

“It’s a very serious offense, and there’s a lot of charges that are going to come along with this — more than just a stolen vehicle,” Perrine said. “You know, certainly not a good idea to even think about doing something like that. I don’t know what his motivation was, but I do know that he’s in jail right now.”

It is currently unclear if the man who allegedly stole ISP’s car is connected to the criminal investigation police were serving a search warrant for prior to the theft occurring.