A pair of men were found with guns altered to be fully automatic after a high-speed police pursuit and crash in the early morning hours on Christmas Day in Gary. Jared Tomas Gonzalez, 25, of Gary, and Terrell Zair Samuels, 20, of East Chicago, are both charged with possession of a machine gun, a Lev el 5 felony, and misdemeanor resisting law enforcement by using a vehicle. Around 2:28 a.m. on Dec. 25, a Griffith police officer spotted a maroon Honda CR-V without working tail and license plate lights near the 800 block of East Ridge Road, the probable cause affidavit states. Two men were visible in the vehicle, wearing hoodies, and they appeared to lean back in their seats as they drove past the officer. A police cruiser began to drive behind them and the officer activated the car’s emergency lights and siren, court records state. The Honda did not stop as it drove east on Ridge Road, reaching 91 mph as it approached Burr Street, 95 mph at Clark Street, and disregarding a red light at Chase Street. The vehicle sped up to 98 mph when it tried to turn north onto Grant Street, but it lost control and crashed into a utility pole, activating the car’s airbags, records state. The officer ordered the men to stay inside the vehicle, but they immediately jumped into the back seat. They both were taken into custody by police, and Gonzalez had blood coming from his nose and mouth, which required medical treatment at a local hospital, the affidavit states. Neither man answered when police asked if there were any guns inside the vehicle. On the driver’s side floorboard, police found a Glock Model 23 Gen 4 semi-automatic .40-caliber handgun, with a flashlight attachment, a live bullet in the chamber and a loaded magazine inserted, court records state. The gun had a “switch” modification, which can make the gun fully automatic. They also found a Glock Model 23 Gen 4 .40-caliber handgun on the passenger side floorboard, which also had a fully-automatic switch, records state. Police also found marijuana and two cell phones. The Honda was owned by a man whose daughter let Samuels borrow it, the affidavit states. Samuels had posted a video on Instagram where he appears to be displaying one of the handguns retrieved from the Honda. Samuels is currently wanted on an active arrest warrant, issued in December 2024, for a weapons offense out of Cook County, Illinois, court records state. ...read more read less