(La Porte, IN) - Police arrested a man at a factory in La Porte last night during a more than half-hour foot pursuit.

 

According to LaPorte City Police, the man was stopped for a traffic violation and punched the patrol officer several times in the head, then fled on foot to Lewis Bakery on the city’s east side. Chief Paul Brettin said the man at one point climbed on the roof and fell then went back inside the plant where he was apprehended. Brettin said the man was admitted to the hospital with injuries suffered in the fall and from his other actions at the company.

 

“He was going berserk inside the factory, from falling off the roofs, jumping over things.  I mean, there’s a lot of sharp metal. It was dark. You can imagine what kind of injuries he would have. None of them were from the officers,” he said.

 

Brooke Gearheart, who works in shipping at the bakery, said she was just an arm’s length from the man who never threatened her. “He took off and ended up on top of our office building and decided to climb on the pipes, and he was trying to break the pipes," Gearheart stated.

 

So far, the name of the suspect has not been released. Brettin said the officer assaulted suffered a concussion and is on leave indefinitely until he’s ready to return to work. A La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputy also suffered a badly sprained leg.