Interstate 65 shuts down after 140 mph chase of stolen car

A driver fleeing police in a stolen vehicle led to a crash that shut down Interstate 65 for about five hours Monday afternoon in Scott County.

Indiana State Police are reporting that a witness called in a vehicle weaving in and out of traffic on southbound Interstate 65 in Jackson County at about 4:51 p.m. yesterday afternoon.  A check of the license plate number revealed that the car had been reported stolen out of Illinois.

A Crothersville police officer began the chase near the Jackson/Scott County line and was soon assisted by troopers and Jackson County deputies as speeds reached 140 mph. The car crashed into a semi and another car near Scottsburg.

All three of the people in the stolen car were juveniles from Illinois. After the crash, two ran from the scene while a third was trapped in the wreckage and had to be rescued by emergency workers. That occupant was flown by air ambulance to the University of Louisville hospital with serious injuries.

The other two were caught soon afterwards, treated for minor injuries and then taken to the Clark County Youth Detention Center.

The driver of the second car was treated for injuries at the Louisville hospital and then released, while the driver of the semi refused treatment.

The interstate was shut down until about 10 p.m. last night for cleanup of the crash scene and investigation.