Crash North of Mattoon During Police Pursuit

A crash occurred north of Mattoon during the noon hour Wednesday during a police pursuit.

Mattoon Police Chief Jeff Branson said his officers were sent to the BP gas station in the 1200 block of Charleston Avenue at about 12:18pm. The call concerned a man wanted on a Coles County warrant sitting in a truck. A 911 caller alleged that the wanted person was a Blake Bolen. The information was verified through 911 dispatch that there was an active warrant for Bolen's arrest  for failure to appear in court on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. The information on the warrant indicated that Bolen should be considered armed and dangerous.

Arriving officers approached the truck in which Bolen was seated. Upon seeing an officer, Bolen immediately put the truck in reverse and fled the gas station. Mattoon officers gave chase, eventually heading north on US Route 45 pursuing Bolen outside the Mattoon city limits.

The chase ended when Bolen turned into the southbound lane near County Road 1000 North and struck a CN Railroad 10-wheeler truck. Both the driver and the passenger of the railroad truck reported no injuries, but Bolen was injured and was airlifted from the scene to Carle Hospital in Urbana.

The Illinois State Police were called in to work the crash and conduct a further investigation due to Mattoon officers having been involved in the chase.