A Warsaw man was arrested Thursday night after he fled from police as an officer attempted to make a traffic stop. According to a Warsaw Police Department crash report, an officer observed a vehicle approaching southbound on North Parker Street in Warsaw operating erratically. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Jose Malagon, 29, of 2035 E. Market St., Warsaw, was flashing his bright lights on and off and was traveling well above the posted speed limit. The officer activated his emergency lights and turned his squad car around and was attempting to catch up with Malagon when Malagon reportedly began to flee. After a short pursuit, Malagon turned from East Center Street onto South McKinley Street and drove into a parking lot, striking two large boulders that were sitting in the grass. His vehicle became stuck on top of one of the rocks and Malagon was unable to drive the vehicle further. He was not injured. Malagon was transported to the Kosciusko County Jail and booked on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of .15 or higher and an additional charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was held on a $2,000 bond. According to the crash report, the pursuing officer was in the process of receiving a complaint from another motorist about Malagon’s driving before he observed the vehicle on the roadway. According to the complainant, Malagon had been flashing his bright lights and nearly hit the other motorist head-on moments before the pursuing officer noticed Malagon’s erratic driving.
