Three Chicago residents were taken into custody after a pursuit on Sunday after the Indiana State Police said that a Good Samaritan couple witnessed their theft of tires from a car dealership in Michigan City.

According to police, at 10:04 a husband and wife from Long Beach, Ind., were driving past the Harbor dealership on U.S. 421 when they saw men using bolt cutters to remove tires from the underbody storage area on a pair of pickup trucks. The men then loaded the tires into a 2001 Ford van and left the scene westbound on I-94, followed by the couple, who contacted the ISP, police said.

Surrounding law enforcement agencies were notified and given a description of the van, which continued westbound on I-94. It was spotted in the area of Ind. 49 by Porter Police and—after exiting I-94 in Portage but then re-entering it—by the Burns Harbor, Ogden Dunes, and Portage PDs, police said. “The driver of the van refused to stop.”

After passing beneath I-65, the van turned around and drove the wrong way on the ramp from northbound I-65 to westbound I-80 but the driver lost control, left the roadway, and struck a concrete bridge support, police said.

The driver, identified as Chauncey M. Ali, 43, was taken into custody at the scene, police said. His passengers fled the scene on foot. The first, Cleo Summers, 46, was caught after a short pursuit, police said. The second, Linza Davis Junior, 56, was apprehended after a Gary Police K-9 unit tracked him to an abandoned home, police said.

A Porter Police officer was treated at Porter hospital after sustaining a leg injury during the foot pursuit, police added.

The van—which sustained around $6,000 in damage—was found to be loaded with 15 to 20 new and used rimmed tires, police said.

Ali, Summers, and Junior were transported to Porter County Jail by Porter Police and charged with resisting law enforcement and possession of stolen property, both Class D felonies punishable by a term of six months to three years.

A charge of theft of auto parts is pending against all three in LaPorte County, police said.

“It is not clear how and where the additional tires may have been obtained,” police said. Car dealerships which may have experienced a theft of tires this past weekend are urged to contact the ISP at (219) 696-6242.

Posted 4/16/2012