An afternoon pursuit in Lebanon led to the arrest and subsequent charges of five felonies for an Indianapolis man involved with auto theft.
On Thursday, Oct. 10 just before 3 p.m., Lebanon Police Department units were reportedly notified of a stolen vehicle that was being tracked by its owner that was traveling in the 300 block of North Lebanon Street.
Officers reportedly arrived and observed the vehicle leaving an apartment complex northbound on Lebanon Street, and a traffic stop was attempted, leading to the driver allegedly fleeing from law enforcement.
While fleeing from the scene, the suspect vehicle reportedly side-swiped a civilian vehicle, causing minor damage, and officers continued to attempt to stop the vehicle until it reached the area of Lafayette Avenue and Windhaven Lane, reaching a dead end.
Once the vehicle reached the dead end, officers reported that the suspect made a U-turn and drove directly at the officers, striking a Boone County Sheriff’s Office vehicle and “ramming” a Lebanon Police Department vehicle before continuing to flee.
The pursuit continued south on Lafayette Avenue where the suspect reportedly side-swiped another civilian vehicle, causing minor damage. The pursuit reportedly concluded at the State Road 32 and I-65 overpass where the suspect vehicle was successfully boxed in. The suspect, later identified as Christian Brown, 28, of Indianapolis, reportedly refused to exit the vehicle, which required officers to force entry to the vehicle.
The suspect was placed under arrest without any further incident, and he was cleared by medical personnel at Witham Memorial Hospital prior to being transported to jail.
The department reported that two officers suffered minor injuries, but they were treated and released from the hospital.
Brown was booked into the Boone County Jail on preliminary charges of felony auto theft, felony resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, two counts of felony battery on law enforcement, felony criminal recklessness with a vehicle, four counts of misdemeanor leaving the scene of a property damage accident, misdemeanor criminal mischief, misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor aggressive driving.
The department further stated that Brown was refusing to comply with the jail booking procedures upon his arrival at the facility.