Off-Duty Gary Firefighter Arrested After Striking State Trooper, Fleeing

Overview

• Authorities say a dark SUV struck a fully marked Indiana State Police Dodge Durango that was directing traffic in an active construction zone early Monday, injuring Trooper Garcia and prompting hospital evaluation.
• The SUV fled the scene and troopers later found a matching vehicle with front-end damage that led officers on a brief pursuit through the construction zone and city streets before stopping near the Gary Fire Department.
• Police identified the driver as 47-year-old Michael D. Rodriguez, an off-duty Gary firefighter, and say he showed signs of alcohol impairment and admitted to drinking.
• Rodriguez refused field sobriety and certified chemical tests, a judge approved a blood search warrant, a sample was collected at a hospital, and he was booked into the Lake County Jail.
• Police say they will forward multiple charges to the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, including several Level 6 felonies for OWI-causing-injury, reckless driving in a construction zone while intoxicated, and leaving the scene, which could affect public-safety accountability for a city firefighter.