The Associated Press
MUNSTER, Ind. (AP) -- A police officer racing to join a high-speed pursuit of three teenage armed robbery suspects crashed into a car driven by a 90-year-old man, who died when he was trapped inside his burning vehicle.
Robert Gottschall died at the scene of Saturday morning’s crash, which occurred as he was turning into the parking lot of the Munster retirement home where he lived.
A witness who asked not to be identified told the Times of Munster that the Dyer police officer burned his hands trying to rescue Gottschall, but was driven away by the intense heat.
“The officer is very emotional, very shook up right now,” said Dyer Police Chief Don Parker.
The police officer, whose identity will not be released until Monday, was taken to The Community Hospital and was listed in good condition with bruises and broken ribs, police said.
At the request of Munster police, Indiana State Police are investigating the crash, which occurred as the officer was attempting to catch up to Munster police, who were chasing a van carrying three teens suspected of committing an armed robbery Saturday morning in Dyer.
The chase ended when the three teen suspects fled on foot. Police apprehended two of the boys -- a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old -- but are still searching for the third suspect, also 17.
Police said the youths entered a bank with a sawed-off shotgun and held up the bank’s armed security guard, stealing his gun.
A crowd of dozens of people gathered Saturday in the parking lot of Temple Beth-El to watch the cleanup of the charred car and speculate about what had happened.
“This is just a tragedy. It really is. To have someone die like this ... it’s a tragedy for everyone,” said Munster Police Chief Nick Panich as he surveyed the site.
Parker said his department has procedures in place regarding police chases and “realizes the seriousness of high-speed pursuits.” He would not speculate on how fast the officer was driving, but he said he believed he had both his lights and siren on.
Meanwhile, three suburban St. Louis police officers were taken to area hospitals after two police cruisers collided Friday night.
Hospital spokeswomen said late Friday they could not release any information about the condition of the two Pagedale officers and one Wellston, Mo. officer.
The crash happened in Wellston at an intersection just outside of St. Louis around 9 p.m. It involved one police car from Pagedale and one from Wellston.
The cause of the crash was unclear.