Drunk woman Tased after leading cops on Indiana Toll Road chase

A drunk woman was Tased after leading police on a car chase that started on the Indiana Toll Road in northwest Indiana early Wednesday.

At 3:28 a.m., an Indiana State Police trooper saw a 2003 Buick SUV parked in one of the toll booth lanes on the Indiana Toll Road east entry point near the Indiana/Illinois state line, according to ISP.

The trooper pulled up behind the SUV, which had only its side marker lights on, and saw a woman get out of the front passenger seat and throw a beer can at the driver while yelling expletives, police said.

The trooper got out of his squad car and asked the woman to talk about what she was doing, police said. She said the driver was too drunk to pay to the toll, so she got out to pay and threw the beer can in frustration.

The trooper approached the Buick and saw open containers of alcohol across the inside of the SUV, and noticed an overwhelming smell of alcohol, police said.

The driver, identified as 32-year-old Jacqueline A. Castillo, told the trooper she did not have a license or any identification on her, and yelled an expletive before putting the SUV into drive and taking off, police said. The trooper chased her.

The SUV sped east and exited the toll road at Calumet Avenue in Hammond, then headed south and pulled into a gas station in the 3300 block of Calumet, where it crashed into a pole behind the station, police said.

Castillo got out nd advanced toward the trooper with her hands in fists, police said. The trooper warned her she would be Tased if she didn’t obey their commands, but she refused and was Tased.

She was taken to St. Margaret Hospital in Hammond, where she attacked a nurse and had to be restrained, police said. She was eventually medically cleared and taken to the Lake County Jail.

Police said Castillo tested over three times the legal limit for alcohol with a blood alcohol content of .27 percent. The legal limit is .08 percent.

Castillo, a Hammond resident, faces one felony count of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement, battery, operating while intoxicated, reckless driving, failure to identify, obstructing traffic, operating a vehicle without ever being licensed, and open alcohol. She was also cited for improper headlights and disregarding a traffic control device, police said.

Castillo’s passenger was released at the scene.