Mr. Brown-Watkins most recent mug photo from December 2021.
LAKE CO., Ind. (ADAMS) – Indiana State Police say that officers are investigating a carjacking on Interstate 65 that sparked a police chase over the weekend and now has a suspect on the run.
ISP officials say that the man took off in the vehicle with a victim still inside.
During the chase, the victim was able to exit the vehicle but the suspect got away.
Police later found the vehicle but the man that stole it was nowhere to be found.
Indiana State Police are now asking for help in locating him.
ISP officials released the following:
On January 8, 2022, at approximately 12:15 a.m., troopers responded to a rollover crash on I-65 northbound lanes at the 254 mile-marker. This location is north of U.S. 30. While troopers were responding to the scene, they received information that a good Samaritan who had stopped to assist the driver, had been carjacked. Troopers quickly located the vehicle that was carjacked but were unaware that the victim was driving the vehicle while the suspect was in the passenger seat. A pursuit was initiated, and the troopers followed the vehicle into Illinois where the vehicle made a sudden stop on I-94 at 115th Street in Cook County, Illinois. The driver exited the vehicle and immediately laid on the ground. As officers were learning from the driver that the suspect was still in the van, the driver’s door suddenly closed, and the vehicle sped away. Officers attempted to pursue the van again, however they lost sight of it. It was later recovered abandoned two miles away from 115th St. Investigators also later recovered a .22 Sterling Arms handgun from inside the wrecked Chrysler.
During the investigation, it was determined that the suspect is Randy Terrell Brown-Watkins. Mr. Brown-Watkins is a black male, 5’9”, 230 lbs., and has reported residences in both Lafayette, IN, and Chicago, IL. Mr. Brown-Watkins is to be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information on Mr. Brown-Watkins’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Indiana State Police at 877-226-1026.
Warrants for Mr. Brown-Watkins have been issued by the Lake County Superior Court, Criminal Division 1 for the following *offenses:
Kidnapping While Hijacking a Vehicle- Level 2 Felony
Armed Robbery- Level 3 Felony
Auto Theft- Level 6 Felony
Pointing a Firearm- Level 6 Felony
Leaving the Scene of a Crash- Class B Misdemeanor
*Indiana State Police remind that all charges are merely allegations, and all criminal defendants should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
