Tell City, IN -  Stolen Car Suspect Steals K-9 Police Car - Assault Rifle from Trunk is Missing

TELL CITY - A teenage driver who led police on a four-county chase sped off in a Tell City officer's car early Tuesday after stalling an allegedly stolen mini van on a railroad track on the city's south side.

As dawn broke, police were looking for the 17-year-old black male who stole the squad car, giving him access to police radios and firearms.

Police are looking for the fully marked Chevrolet Impala, marked with the words “Canine Unit” on both sides.

Details remained sketchy, but law-enforcement officers pursued the Honda Odyssey into Tell City from the Vanderburgh and Warrick County areas. Police punctured the van's front tires with spiked strips near Rockport, but the vehicle, its front wheels reduced to rims, continued eastbound on Indiana 66 into Tell City.

City officers and a sheriff's deputy pursued the driver down Main Street. He apparently failed to negotiate a turn on Gutenberg Street and continued southbound on the railroad track for about 100 feet. He then fled on foot.

Officers pursued the man, but he apparently circled around, ran through the yard of a nearby home and jumped in Patrolman Derrick Lawalin's car and drove off.

Lawalin had just arrived at the scene with other officers with the city's police dog, Jago, and had left the car's keys in the ignition. The dog was with the officer when the car was stolen.

Anyone seeing the police car is asked to immediately contact the Tell City Police Department at 547-7068.

SPENCER COUNTY - UPDATE: A police car stolen early Tuesday morning was reported found approximately two hours later just across the Perry-Spencer county line.
A neighbor reported seeing the car at approximately 6:30 a.m. Tuesday on County Road 900N in Spencer County. As of 8:30 a.m., deputies from that county's sheriff's department, and Tell City Police, Indiana State Police and Indiana conservation officers were searching the area along County road 950, about a half-mile north of where the car was found, for a 17-year-old black male suspect.
He is thought to be armed with an assault rifle taken from the trunk of the squad car.
ADDED 9:10 a.m. TUESDAY: The suspect is identified as Quinton L. Jennings. He's 5'1” tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown eyes and is dressed in white.

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