FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – A Fort Wayne Police Department officer involved in a Thursday chase that ended in a deadly crash said he had to drive up to 80 miles an hour to keep up with the suspect, newly filed court records show.
Prosecutors have filed multiple charges against the suspect, 30-year-old Denzel Gordon. The nine charges include six felonies:
- Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, causing death or catastrophic injury;
- Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury;
- Reckless homicide;
- Operating a motor vehicle without ever having received a license;
- Unlawful carrying of a handgun;
- Criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon;
- Misdemeanor resisting law enforcement;
- Misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident; and
- An infraction for refusing to submit to a breath or chemical test.
Officer Justin Shutt said he was stopped at the intersection of Spy Run Avenue and Elizabeth Street when Gordon disregarded a red light, according to court records obtained by 21Investigates. Shutt initiated a traffic stop, however, Gordon did not pull over.
The chase lasted several minutes, with the officer noting that at times he needed to accelerate to 70 or 80 miles per hour to keep up with Gordon, court documents say. Eventually, the chase ended up back on Spy Run Avenue and the officer’s in-car camera captured Gordon’s car hitting a pedestrian, identified in court records as 62-year-old Phillip Biddle…