A 17-year-old is accused of trying to steal a man's car at gunpoint near the east side of Indianapolis on Wednesday, before ditching a backpack containing a loaded handgun and getting tracked down by a police drone. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police believe the teen approached a victim who was unloading his vehicle, pointed an object at him and demanded his keys, according to police.
The robbery report came in from the 1300 block of North Oxford Street, as reported by Fox 59. The victim told officers he believed the object pointed at him was a gun. IMPD deployed a drone to search the area, and officers soon located a person running through a nearby alley who matched the suspect's description.
Police detained the runner on North Parker Avenue and identified him as 17 years old, though IMPD did not release his name. Investigators found an orange backpack stuffed in a trash can near the spot where he was apprehended, and inside it was a loaded handgun along with ammunition. Drone footage showed the detained teen discarding the backpack before he ran into officers, the outlet's report notes.
How the Drone Sealed the Case
The tactic fits a broader pattern for IMPD, whose drone fleet has grown from a single unit purchased in 2018 to more than 80 drones and roughly 60 trained pilots by late 2025, according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security. The expansion has effectively replaced police helicopters as the department's primary tool for tactical aerial surveillance. That same technology lets drone operators positioned thousands of yards away stream real-time thermal and aerial video straight to the smartphones of patrol officers and K-9 handlers during active foot pursuits, per WTHR.
It is a similar setup to what Hoodline covered last month, when IMPD's East District used license plate readers, a tactical drone and a K-9 unit to surround and arrest two armed teenage suspects tied to a stolen vehicle on the Eastside. IMPD crime statistics released this year show citywide property crimes fell 30% in 2026 compared to 2025, alongside broader declines in motor vehicle thefts.
Why the Teen Faces Adult Court, Not Juvenile Court
The teen was preliminarily charged with attempted armed robbery, a Level 3 felony, and possession of a firearm by a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. Under Indiana law, juvenile courts do not have jurisdiction over 16- and 17-year-olds who commit serious felony crimes including murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping and carjacking, meaning the case would likely be adjudicated in adult court if the Marion County Prosecutor's Office files the Level 3 felony charge.
That jurisdictional rule traces to Indiana Code § 31-30-1-4, which automatically excludes older teens accused of Level 3 felony armed robbery or carjacking from juvenile court without requiring a discretionary waiver hearing, according to Justia. If the Level 3 felony charge is filed, the case could proceed in adult court.
The firearm-possession charge is separate from the attempted armed robbery charge.
As of Wednesday, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office had not announced what formal charges it intends to file against the teen. That decision will determine whether he faces adult felony charges or proceeds through Indiana's juvenile justice system. Indiana's juvenile-law provisions are in Title 31, and a delinquency adjudication is equivalent to a guilty verdict, according to Eskew Law.
