CROWN POINT | A man who led as many as 20 police cars on chase from Gary to Crown Point early Friday told officers he was smoking crack while fleeing from them, police said.

Lake County police Sgt. Guy Mikulich said he saw Thomas F. Misko, 22, of the 2400 block of Wheeler Street in Gary, ignore a stop light at the intersection of West 40th Avenue and Grant Street in Gary about 3 a.m. Mikulich said he turned on the overhead lights in his squad car and tried to pull over Misko at Ridge Road and Grant Street, but Misko did not stop.

Mikulich said Misko then threw something out of the window of the vehicle as he was driving.

The low-speed pursuit, which involved three police departments, continued southbound through Gary and into Merrillville. Merrillville police threw tire-puncturing stop sticks across the road at 73rd Avenue and Madison Street in an attempt to stop Misko, but he avoided the devices and kept driving, police said. At one point in the pursuit, Misko allegedly forced some squad cars off the side of the road as well.

As the pursuit entered Crown Point, police there also used stop sticks at 93rd Place and Madison Street, which damaged the tires on Misko's Chevrolet Lumina.

In the 100 block of Merrillville Road, Misko drove westbound through a field and returned to southbound Merrillville Road, police said. The car then began losing the tires, and Misko continued to drive on the rims, police said.

Misko drove into downtown Crown Point to Main Street, went south on Burrell Drive and then east to Ind. 55 before driving south to the 13200 block, where he finally came to a stop, police said.

Mikulich said Misko refused to get out of the vehicle after it came to a stop, forcing police to break a window and pull him out. Police said he kicked at officers as they were removing him from the car.

Misko told officers at the scene that he was, "getting high while fleeing from us," Mikulich said.

"He was high," Mikulich said.

Officers said they found crack and crack pipes in the vehicle.

Police said Misko was taken to St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point for drug intoxication and was later released to Mikulich, who transported him to the Lake County Jail.

Misko was being held Friday for resisting arrest, police said. Additional charges of felony resisting by vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and charges related to forcing officers off the road also may be filed against Misko, Mikulich said.