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A Marion man is in custody at the Kosciusko County Jail after an early-morning chase that began in Kosciusko County and ended in Wabash Monday.
Robert A. Martinez, 36, of 1631 W. Euclid Ave., Marion, was arrested for refusal to submit to chemical testing and resisting/fleeing law enforcement after the chase that began around 12:30 a.m. Monday in Warsaw and ended around 2 a.m. Monday in Wabash County.
According to police reports, a Milford man reported being robbed and assaulted at gunpoint at the Marathon Gas Station in Leesburg by a Hispanic male in a yellow pickup truck.
Gilberto Rico, 37, of Milford, said he was getting a ride home when he was assaulted and had his wallet stolen by the driver of the yellow truck.
The yellow truck was later stopped on Buffalo Street in Warsaw. The pickup pulled into the Short Stop gas station, where police asked the driver to exit the vehicle.
The driver of the pickup, later identified as Martinez, refused to cooperate with law enforcement officials and became belligerent before fleeing the scene and heading south on Ind. 15.
Martinez, who was suspected to be armed, continued through Silver Lake and into Wabash County.
Wabash County officers were alerted to the chase and set up stop sticks at the intersection of Ind. 15 and Ind. 16.
The suspect allegedly ran over the stop sticks and continued to flee officers from both Kosciusko and Wabash counties.
With three flattened tires, Martinez stopped near the intersection of Ind. 15 and Wabash CR 500N, where he reportedly continued to resist arrest. Officers subdued Martinez with three shocks from a stun gun and transported him to the Kosciusko County Jail where he is being held on $2,000 bond.
Martinez allegedly stopped several times during the chase to shout obscenities and taunt police officers.
When officers searched the pickup, no weapons were found. Investigation of the incident continues.
Officers from Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Warsaw Police Department, Wabash Police Department, North Manchester Police Department, Indiana State Police, Silver Lake Police Department and Mentone Police Department assisted with the incident.
