WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) – A multi-county high-speed pursuit ended in a fiery crash that took the life of a Whitley County K9 officer.

It started around 3:30 p.m. when the Plymouth Police Department sent word out to other police departments that a carjacking of a 2016 Chrysler occurred near the LifePlex gym near U.S. 30 and Pioneer Drive.  A short time later, an Indiana State Trooper saw the vehicle traveling eastbound on U.S. 30 near Foxfarm Road.

Officers attempted a high-risk stop near Meijer Drive on U.S. 30 in Kosciusko County.  The suspect vehicle did pull over to the side of the road.  The passenger got out of the vehicle, however the driver sped off and continued eastbound on U.S. 30.

The driver refused to stop while being chased by several officers from multiple departments and then entered Whitley County.

A Whitley County Deputy positioned his 2019 Dodge Charger at the intersection of U.S. 30 and C. R. 450 West and put out some stop sticks in attempt to stop the suspect.  The suspect tried to avoid hitting the stop sticks and collided with the Whitley County Deputy’s Charger on the passenger side causing the Charger to go into the westbound lanes and burst into flames.

Officers were unable to get the K9 patrol dog out the squad car and it died on the scene.  The deputy was unharmed.

The driver of the Chrysler sustained minor injuries and is being treated at an area hospital.

East and westbound U.S. 30 were closed as a result of the incident.

The Koscuisko County Sheriff’s Officer, Warsaw Police Department, Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Pierceton Police Department, Winona Lake Police Department and the Indiana State Police were all involved in the pursuit and crash.