FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A driver was arrested early Sunday morning after a high-speed pursuit with Fort Wayne Police that ended after he crashed and tried to take off on foot.
Fort Wayne Police arrested 29-year-old Phillip Gonzalez on charges of resisting law enforcement and unlawfully possessing a handgun, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Allen Superior Court.
An officer with FWPD’s Gang & Violent Crimes unit said he was driving an unmarked vehicle on Clinton Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. when two cars raced past him, running a red light near Wallace Street.
The officer attempted a traffic stop on one of the vehicles- a black Dodge Charger- but the driver kept going for about 180 yards before stopping, police said in court documents. The officer was then able to approach the car and talk with the driver, identified as Gonzalez.
When the officer checked Gonzalez’s license in the system, the officer said alerts came up showing the man was a convicted felon, possible armed robbery suspect, had a domestic violence conviction, and had previously stated he runs with the Bloods gang. The court documents said Gonzalez was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery in October 2022 and felony robbery in 2012.
The officer noted that when he returned to the car, Gonzalez was visibly sweating. The officer told Gonzalez he could smell marijuana coming from the car, and Gonzalez would have to step out.
That’s when Gonzalez turned the car back on, rolled up the window and sped away, police said.
Police pursued the Charger, which sped up to about 100 mph in a 35 mph zone and ran red lights and stop signs, according to court documents.
Police said about four minutes into the pursuit, the car crashed into a fire hydrant at the intersection of Hanna and Colerick streets, but the chase wasn’t over.
Gonzalez ran from the car and two officers said they followed him. At some point, he was finally apprehended, police said in court documents.
An officer searched the vehicle and said they found .1 grams of marijuana, a Ziploc bag that later tested positive for THC and weighed about 1.9 grams, and a loaded 9mm handgun in the center console.
Police noted in the documents both officers who chased Gonzalez on foot were injured because of the chase, with one of the officers hurting his lower back and ankle, and another hurting his right wrist and his left elbow to the point where he couldn’t extend his arm.
Gonzalez was arrested on charges of:
- Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Level 6 felony
- Resisting law enforcement while fleeing and causing injury to a law enforcement officer, a Level 6 felony
- Possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony
- Possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer, a class A misdemeanor
- Unlawfully carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction within 15 years, a Level 5 felony
He’s also facing a charge for violating parole.
Gonzalez is being held in the Allen County Jail on no bond. He has a hearing scheduled for Oct. 30.
