A high-speed motorcycle crash following a brief police pursuit on Interstate 80 left a northwest Indiana man seriously injured.

According to Indiana State Police, the incident began around 5:55 p.m. on Friday, April 10, in the eastbound lanes of I-80 near the 8.7 mile-marker, close to the Grant Street exit. A state trooper observed a sport motorcycle traveling approximately 95 miles per hour in a posted 55 mph construction zone.

When the trooper attempted a traffic stop, the rider accelerated to speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour, making multiple unsafe lane changes and putting other drivers at risk. Due to heavy traffic ahead, the trooper ended the pursuit within about ten seconds.

Shortly afterward, dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting a motorcycle crash near the 13 mile-marker at Central Avenue. The trooper responded and located the same motorcycle involved in the earlier incident.

Police identified the rider as 21-year-old Agustin Flores of Hammond. He suffered serious injuries and was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred out of state for additional treatment.

Witnesses told investigators the motorcycle was traveling at a very high rate of speed and weaving through traffic just before it rear-ended a white Ford F-150, ejecting the rider.

The driver of the pickup truck, 43-year-old Adalberto Velasco of Elkhart, was not hurt. However, investigators determined Velasco had never been issued a driver’s license and he was taken into custody on a charge of operating a vehicle without a license.

Police also reported the motorcycle displayed an expired temporary Indiana plate that did not match any registration, and the vehicle identification number could not immediately be verified. A VIN specialist will conduct further examination.

Authorities say the following charges have been submitted to the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office for review against Flores:

Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a Level 6 felony

Criminal recklessness, a Class A misdemeanor

Reckless driving causing property damage, a Class B misdemeanor