Indiana Chase Ends in Wreck, Death of Wanted Man
INDIANAPOLIS — A man with a long rap sheet—including convictions for assaulting police, drug offenses, and weapons charges—died Wednesday night after leading officers on a high-speed chase through Indianapolis and into Johnson County.
Marco Antonio Pena Morales was wanted for aggravated assault when an IMPD detective spotted him driving a truck near East 21st and Emerson around 9 p.m. Officers tried to pull him over, but he took off, sparking a pursuit through city streets and onto I-65.
The Johnson County Coroner identified him on Thursday as a Chicago man.
Police attempted a PIT maneuver to stop him, but Morales kept going. Near mile marker 92, the truck flew off the road, hit a concrete culvert, went airborne, and landed in a ditch—then burst into flames. Morales, the only person in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.
His family says they were jolted awake by a call from police in the early morning hours. His mother, who speaks limited English, said her son “treated everyone fairly.” A man identifying as his brother described him as having a “short temper.”
IMPD’s Internal Affairs is now reviewing the chase, and accident investigators are piecing together what happened.
