MSP releases surveillance video of an officer fighting against the suspect before chase, fatal shooting
By: A South Bend man wanted on a felony warrant is dead after leading Michigan State Police troopers on a chase into Indiana earlier this week.
At 8:24 p.m. Wednesday, a state police Niles Post trooper stopped a vehicle on 11th Street near Marion Street in the parking lot of Green Stem Provisioning in Niles. The vehicle, a red Kia, was occupied by a male driver and female passenger.
According to a news release, the trooper discovered the driver had an active warrant for assault and while trying to take him into custody, he began to resist and a fight ensued.
The trooper followed the driver back to the vehicle and deployed his taser toward the driver, who was back in the driver’s seat. The driver then pulled out a firearm, at which time the trooper pointed his firearm at the driver and ordered him to drop the weapon.
The driver fled in the vehicle, heading southbound on 11th Street with the trooper in pursuit, police said.
The suspect drove several miles before crossing over into St. Joseph County, Ind. According to state police, MSP troopers are permitted to pursue across state lines when it involves a suspect wanted for a violent felony.
The pursuit ended in South Bend, where – near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marion Street – the Kia struck a South Bend police vehicle that was deploying stop sticks.
After hitting the police vehicle, the male suspect fled on foot southeast toward the river and shots were fired. A second Michigan State Police trooper used their vehicle to chase the suspect while he fled on foot. The police vehicle went partially over the embankment, striking a tree.
A search for the suspect began and involved multiple officers from different agencies. The suspect was found dead at the bottom of an embankment near the river. The female passenger was uninjured from the incident.
Indiana State Police identified the suspect as Joshua Ringle, 32, of South Bend.