Chaos erupted on the west side of Indianapolis Wednesday evening as a multi-county chase involving a stolen U-Haul ended with a police officer shooting one of the suspects. The initial pursuit began after deputies from the Marion Co. Sheriff's Office attempted to apprehend a wanted felon who was reportedly driving the stolen vehicle. As reported by FOX59, the suspected thief, later identified as 31-year-old Zachary White, alongside 38-year-old Michael Mynatt, also allegedly struck two vehicles before leading police on the chase across county lines.
According to WISH-TV, after abandoning the U-Haul, Mynatt is accused of stealing a second box truck from Crosspoint Power & Refrigeration and proceeding to intentionally try to strike officers before crashing near Kentucky Avenue and Harding Street. This aggressive act led to police returning fire, injuring Mynatt, who was subsequently apprehended and taken to Eskenazi Hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower leg and a dog bite, the nature of which remained unclear.
The Plainfield Police Department confirmed that the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave, following department policy, while an internal investigation is conducted. Deputy Chief Joe Aldridge stated that "shots were fired by at least one suspect and one officer from the Plainfield Police Department," during the altercation. Thankfully, no officers or uninvolved bystanders were injured in the incident, as noted by FOX59.
The involvement of multiple law enforcement agencies, including officers from the Marion and Hendricks Counties' Sheriff's Offices, Indiana State Police, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, was necessary to bring the high-speed chase to an end. As WRTV reports, the ordeal resulted in both suspects being arrested, with Indiana State Police set to lead the ensuing investigation.
This police shooting comes shortly after a similar incident involving Plainfield Police on August 30, which resulted in a tragic accident that killed two innocent bystanders. Details are sparse, but the Avon Police Department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding that pursuit and crash.
