A police chase led to the lockdowns of two schools on Friday afternoon before the suspect was taken into custody.

Police say it began shortly after 1 p.m. when they were chasing a red pickup truck that drove onto an athletic field at Marian High School. That school and LaSalle Elementary were put on lockdown for about two hours after the suspect abandoned the vehicle.

K9 units were called in and the suspect was located in a dumpster around 3 p.m.

Metro Homicide is investigating per protocol, since an officer fired his weapon at the Burger King located at Ireland and Miami. There were no reports of any injuries.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office released the following information:

At approximately 1:06 p.m. this afternoon, officers with the South Bend Police Department were notified through dispatch of a reckless driver who was traveling all over the roadway on Miami Road driving northbound toward Ireland Road. Dispatch also advised officers that the caller stated the driver had almost hit another vehicle head-on and was possibly intoxicated. While officers were en route to the area, dispatch informed the officers that the witness gave a description of the vehicle along with a plate number. That plate number given by the caller was reported stolen.

When officers arrived in the area, they located the suspect vehicle in drive-thru lane of
the Burger King Restaurant on Ireland Road and attempted to block the vehicle in. During
the course of the stop, the suspect vehicle struck a police vehicle and fled the scene.

Dispatch was advised that an officer had fired at the vehicle. A pursuit ensued with the
suspect vehicle, which ended at the baseball field at Marion High School off of Dragoon Trail.

The suspect drove through approximately 20 to 30 feet of chained link fencing, bailed out of the vehicle, and fled on foot. The suspect was eventually apprehended hiding in a dumpster at the school.

Pursuant to protocol, because deadly force was used by officers, the County Metro
Homicide Unit was activated to investigate this matter. The suspect has been identified as
Devin M. Rios, M/W, 23 years old, of South Bend. Mr. Rios is being held on three unrelated
felony warrants, a misdemeanor warrant, and a preliminary charge of Resisting by Use of a
Vehicle, a Felony.

No one was injured and no other suspects are being sought at this time.

During the course of the preliminary investigation, detectives with the CMHU interviewed a number of witnesses, reviewed numerous videos (including body warn cameras and in car cameras), and collected physical evidence.

Regarding the incident in which the officer discharged his firearm, investigators were able to listen and observe the incident on body warn cameras and in-car cameras.

Investigators were able to hear officers repeatedly order the suspect to turn off the vehicle and unlock the doors. Instead of complying, the suspect can be observed putting the vehicle in reverse and striking a South Bend Police patrol car. Detectives observed the suspect also narrowly miss hitting an occupied civilians’ vehicle that was behind the struck patrol car.

The videos further show SBPD Officer Ken Ryan fire one shot into the suspect vehicle as the vehicle accelerated while backing up. Preliminary evidence indicates that the bullet stuck the driver’s window of the suspect vehicle. This shot did not strike anyone.

Through a review of the videos, investigators observed the suspect vehicle continue to back up until it struck a dumpster at the end of the drive-thru lane, at which time the passenger of the suspect vehicle jumped out. The videos then depict the suspect put the truck in drive, traveling over the curb of the adjoining parking lot to the west and flee northbound on Miami St.

The investigation is ongoing as investigators continue to conduct interviews and process evidence. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the St. Joseph

County Metro Homicide Unit at 574-235-5009 or Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP.

Please be advised that the charges that formed the basis of Mr. Rios’ unrelated
warrants are merely accusations and that he is presumed innocent until and unless proven
guilty.

Please be advised that he was arrested on preliminary charge of Resisting by Use of a Vehicle, a Felony, and that he is presumed innocent of this preliminary charge until and unless charged and convicted in a court of law.