Christopher Garza said he knows he shouldn't have been driving his muscle car at 158 mph early Friday on the Indiana Toll Road near Gary — he just wanted to help his buddy clear his mind by showing him how fast his new ride could go.

When the 30-year-old from Chicago passed an Indiana State Trooper squad car, he decided to slow down and own up, he said.

"Obviously, what I did was very dumb," Garza said Friday afternoon.

The trooper was parked in his squad car at mile marker 13, three miles east of the Cline Avenue exit, when at 1:31 a.m. he saw a black 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat traveling "at a high rate of speed," the release states.

The trooper clocked the Challenger at 158 mph in a "well-posted 70 mph zone," and clocked the car a second time at 151 mph, according to police. The car "rapidly decreased its speed" when it passed the police car, according to the release, and the trooper pulled Garza over.

Garza told police he knew he was doing 160 mph and wanted to show his friend "what his 707-horsepower engine could do" and "thought the Indiana Toll Road would be the safest place to do this since it was empty," the release states.

"It was not my intention for us to get busted," Garza said.

Garza's friend, an injured service member, had recently returned home, he said. Because the two like to work on cars and trucks together, he decided to take him for a ride in the Hellcat to distract him from his troubles, he said.

"Really, I was just kind of getting my buddy's mind off of reality for a little bit," Garza said.

They've taken cars to tracks before, where Garza said he has gotten the Hellcat "up to 184," 16 shy of the speedometer's 200 mph max.

Indiana State Police An Indiana State Police trooper took a picture of the speed clock before arresting Chicagoan Christopher Garza for reckless driving. An Indiana State Police trooper took a picture of the speed clock before arresting Chicagoan Christopher Garza for reckless driving. (Indiana State Police)

"As Ricky Bobby once said, I just want to go fast," Garza joked, referencing the protagonist in the comedy "Talladega Nights."

But he also said, "I'm pro-law enforcement. I'm pro-military. And I'm pro-not breaking the law."

"The moral of the story is I know the risk I take every time I decide to speed," Garza said. "This was the lesser of the consequences to suffer going such a high speed. I'm kind of fortunate that I learned my lesson through jail."

When asked whether state troopers have witnessed drivers traveling at higher speeds, state police spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Wojas said in an email that "it's right up there." While police "do see over 100 mph," it's "not usually in the 150s," Wojas said.

Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Dan Murchek said his officers have encountered speeders driving over 100 mph, although not recently. The speed that Garza was driving at was "an extremely excessive speed," and he noted "it's dangerous to do that" for public safety and the officers involved.

Garza was arrested and taken to Lake County Jail, where he was bailed out Friday, and the Hellcat was towed. Going forward, Garza knows he'll have to appear in court.

Still, Garza said his buddy "had a great time last night and that's all that matters to (him)."

"I'll deal with the consequences," Garza said.

rejacobs@post-trib.com

Twitter @ruthyjacobs