Chicago Heights Man Shot, Killed In Interstate Police Chase

DYER, IN — The man shot and killed in a high-speed police chase from the south suburbs to northwest Indiana has been identified as a Chicago Heights man. The Lake County coroner said Mark Coffey, 33, died of gunshot sounds, but his manner of death was still under investigation, the Chicago Tribune reported. Police said prior to the shooting, Coffey struck and injured a pedestrian while fleeing in a stolen vehicle Thursday morning.

The pursuit began early Thursday morning in Crete after police received a report of a stolen vehicle and soon spotted the car. Coffey allegedly headed north on I-94, and the pursuit crossed back and forth between Illinois and Indiana.

Crete Police Chief James Paoletti told the Associated Press that officers chased the stolen car to a church parking lot in Dyer, Indiana, where they confronted the driver. He said Coffey was "making numerous movements" and appeared to be holding a weapon.

Police said Coffey then fled back to Illinois, where he ditched the vehicle and got into another stolen vehicle in Sauk Village, where he struck a pedestrian, police told the Tribune.

Illinois police reportedly stopped the chase to tend to the injured pedestrian. Coffey, who had active warrants out for armed robbery and burglary, allegedly headed back into Dyer, Indiana, where he encountered police before hitting another vehicle and was killed in another confrontation with police.

A Lake County Sheriff's spokesman on Thursday said Coffey was shot at around 6 a.m. Thursday. The shooting took place in a suburban area just a few blocks east of the Illinois-Indiana state line.

Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 in Dyer, Indiana. A police spokesman says one suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting in northwestern Indiana town, about 30 miles south of Chicago. (Warren Skalski/Chicago Tribune via AP)