A traffic stop on Interstate 80/94 turned into a shoot-out that left a driver dead and an Indiana state trooper wounded early Tuesday in Hammond.
Just after midnight, the trooper, two Lake County deputies and a Hammond police officer assisted in the traffic stop of a gray Hyundai Elantra for a “minor violation” just east of the Illinois-Indiana state line, Indiana State Police said.
A shoot-out then erupted between the driver of the Elantra and the officers. The driver, 34-year-old Aaron Barnes from Gary, was hit and died at the scene, state police said.
The trooper, wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot in his chest. He was taken to an area hospital before being transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center for surgery, officials said. His condition was stabilized, and he was expected to make a full recovery.
A 34-year-old woman who was a passenger in the Elantra was arrested. No further details were immediately released.
The trooper is a canine officer and has been with the Indiana State Police for eight years, officials said.
No other officers were injured.