Michael Damien Rodriguez, of Gary, was charged after allegedly striking a state police vehicle near the southbound I-65 ramp to westbound I-80 at about midnight on September 14, then fleeing through an active highway work zone and into Gary.
A trooper was working a traffic-control detail when his stationary, marked vehicle was struck. Construction crews were pulling wire across the interstate, and marked police vehicles with emergency lights were positioned to block traffic and protect the work zone. The trooper reported severe pain in his back and legs and was taken for medical evaluation.
Another trooper soon spotted a vehicle matching the SUV’s description westbound on I-80 near the construction site and attempted to stop it. The SUV did not yield to emergency lights and sirens. The affidavit says it continued through the active work zone near the 10.1-mile marker and drove over a large cable being pulled across the lanes. Workers ran toward the shoulder to avoid being struck.…