INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A 20-year-old man facing charges in Maryland for sex crimes involving a minor made an appearance in court earlier in September on separate charges out of Indiana following a police pursuit allegedly involving a stolen vehicle that culminated in a crash that reportedly claimed the life of a 14-year-old girl inside the vehicle.
On September 16, 20-year-old Alexis Pinto appeared before a Marion County judge on charges stemming from a police pursuit that ended in tragedy during the early morning hours of September 13. According to authorities, Indiana State Police (ISP) were alerted via automated license plate readers to a stolen vehicle heading westbound on I-70 near Post Road. When troopers attempted to pull the driver over, authorities say the suspect immediately sped away.
Officials claim the suspect reached speeds close to 100 miles per hour during the pursuit, eventually driving against traffic while diverting to I-65. In light of the dangerous nature of the pursuit, authorities terminated the pursuit but maintained visual contact with the suspect vehicle by way of traffic cameras. Shortly after authorities disengaged from the suspect driver, the vehicle reportedly crashed into Fall Creek.
When emergency crews arrived at the scene of the crash, they located the suspect vehicle, which had reportedly been stolen out of Illinois, as well as a 14-year-old girl trapped in the vehicle who reportedly suffered brain damage. Pinto, the alleged driver of the vehicle, was reportedly seen swimming away from the wreckage and was apprehended by authorities shortly thereafter.
Authorities say the deceased juvenile victim had been on the run with Pinto since this past April, as he was facing charges for an alleged illicit relationship with the child dating back to December 2025.
ISP Sergeant John Perrin said of the investigation, “What started as a stolen vehicle quickly spawned into something that was a national crime spree, from Baltimore to New Jersey to Illinois,” further adding, “You know he broke a lot of laws. He committed a lot of crimes, but when confronted by police he made the choice to flee and put himself and his passenger in a dangerous situation and the outcome is heartbreaking.”
Marion County prosecutors requested a 72-hour extension in court to file formal charges related to the allegations in Indiana, with Pinto also facing a detainer in Maryland for the alleged sex crime charges and a federal detainer due to matters pertaining to his immigration status.
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