CLINTON, Ind. — A man is dead after his SUV was pulled from the Wabash River following a pursuit in Clinton, Indiana, which is about 20 minutes north of Terre Haute.
Authorities said the incident began at around 4 p.m. Thursday after police responded to reports of an impaired driver. Police located the man in his 1998 Mercury Mountaineer at 4:23 p.m. and pulled him over.
Minutes after police pulled the SUV over, the driver took off, according to 13News partner The Tribune-Star.
During the chase, police said the driver turned into the city boat launch area and drove between a tree and a ramp to send his vehicle into the river.
“They turned on Elm Street, went down to the river and he ended up putting his vehicle into the river,” Clinton Police Chief Billy MacLaren told 13News partner, WTWO.
By the time water rescue divers had arrived at the scene about 15 minutes later, the SUV had traveled down river and submerged.
Rescue teams struggled to get the SUV hooked and pulled out of the river due to swift water and cold temperatures, Maclaren said.
Crews were finally able to pull the SUV out of the river at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday. Authorities said the man's body was recovered from inside the SUV after it was pulled out of the river.
Police are awaiting autopsy results to release the identity of a man who died.
MacLaren said Friday morning it was still unclear why the man fled the police. He was not wanted on a warrant.
