SOUTH BEND – A Friday night chase landed a South Bend man in jail after he fled from an Indiana State Trooper and eventually crashed into a parked car and then a porch on a house.
On Friday, February 9, 2024, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Indiana State Trooper Matt Drudge was on patrol when he saw a gray 2007 Audi with two equipment violations traveling northbound on Portage Avenue. Drudge caught up to the Audi and attempted to stop it near Portage Avenue and Woodlawn Boulevard in South Bend, IN. When Drudge turned on his red and blue lights, the driver of the Audi is alleged to have sped away, and a chase began.
The driver of the Audi fled down several city streets and eventually ended up traveling on Beverly Place, where the Audi crashed into a parked car. After this collision, the Audi continued across the street, slamming into a wooden porch of a house in the 2000 block of Beverly Place. After this crash, the Audi was immobile, and the driver, identified as Trae Lottie, 28, of South Bend, was taken into custody. Further investigation revealed that Lottie was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and driving with a suspended license.
Lottie was taken to a local hospital to be medically cleared from crashing and to submit to a chemical test. The results of the chemical test are pending. After being medically cleared, Lottie was arrested and taken to the St. Joseph County Jail for resisting law enforcement, Operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction, OWI endangerment, driving while driver’s license suspended with a previous conviction and reckless driving.
