Teen falls 30 feet running from police

WABASH, Ind. (WANE) - A 17-year-old was flown by Samaritan to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne after falling from a 30 foot drop while running from police Thursday night.

Around 10:00 p.m., Wabash Police were called on reports of a slender man, wearing blue jeans staggering in the roadway around Spring and HIll Streets and throwing trash cans and trying to break into a cigarette machine at the Swifty station on Sinclair Street.

"I was counting loose change and getting it all counted up for my final deposit for the morning till.  I stopped and saw what was happening and I proceeded out the door and hollered at him and he fled on foot", said Swifty gas station worker Ron Brewer.

Officers in the area found the man running eastbound toward the East Main Street area. The chase continued through yards and over fences until they came to the area of East Main Street where there is a sharp drop off.

"He dropped about 30 feet to the stone that's beneath that, and that's where officers found him at and they could see an apparent head injury," said Wabash Police Department Chief of Police Charles Smith.

The 17-year-old suffered a severe head injury. He was taken to the Wabash County Hospital where he was then flown by Samaritan to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.

"Right now we're just looking for him to make a recovery like we would for anybody, but it's just a situation that shouldn't have happened," Chief Smith said.

Police say the boy was lucky a train wasn't going through those tracks.  The area is primarily residential, and police say those who live in the area know about the drop-off, so it isn't really a safety concern.

Police also tell  NewsChannel 15 they smelled alcohol at the scene, but their investigation continues.