An Indianapolis man accused of biting a police officer’s finger and dragging him with a car during a struggle downtown is now in custody. IMPD officers arrested 26-year-old Jaevaughn Dotson-Hubbard around 6:30 p.m. Sunday on an outstanding warrant, capping a search that began days earlier after the violent encounter near Fort Wayne Avenue.
The case started on Oct. 8, when IMPD downtown district officers responded to the 900 block of Ft. Wayne Avenue on a report of possible vehicle break-ins, according to WIBC 93.1 FM. A separate account from WISH-TV described the same morning call, which came in around 6:45 a.m., as involving a possible auto theft rather than break-ins, and Fox 59 characterized it as an alleged carjacking. The discrepancy in how the initial call was described has not been resolved across the outlets covering the case.
Whatever prompted the dispatch, officers arriving on scene saw two people matching the caller’s descriptions sitting inside a vehicle, per WIBC’s reporting. A man inside gave officers a false name, and as they continued speaking with the vehicle’s occupants, he put the car in drive, touching off a struggle.
Bitten and Dragged During the Struggle
During that struggle, the man bit the officer’s finger and then drove off, dragging the officer a short distance, WIBC reported. Fox 59’s account similarly described the officer being bitten with “significant force” before the vehicle fled, and WISH-TV reported that the suspect bit the officer’s finger hard before driving away and dragging him.
The officer sustained multiple injuries and was transported to Methodist Hospital for treatment before being released later the same day, according to WIBC. IMPD Downtown District Commander Shane Foley said the officer was recovering and that police were committed to locating the suspect, adding that the man’s actions put officers and the community in real danger.
Suspect Identified, Then Arrested Days Later
The man fled the scene initially, but detectives were able to identify him in the days that followed. IMPD officers then arrested Dotson-Hubbard a few days after the assault, taking him into custody Sunday evening on the outstanding warrant.
Reported charges in the case include battery resulting in injury to a public safety official, criminal recklessness, and two counts of resisting law enforcement, per WIBC’s report. Fox 59 reported that Dotson-Hubbard was officially charged on Oct. 9 with battery resulting in injury to a public safety official, criminal recklessness, and two counts of resisting law enforcement. WISH-TV reported that the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged the 26-year-old man the day after detectives identified him with battery resulting in injury to a public safety official, criminal recklessness, and two counts of resisting law enforcement.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision in the case, WIBC noted. The varying descriptions of the charges across local outlets have not been reconciled by any single confirmed charging document.
Part of a Broader Pattern Nationally
The Indianapolis case comes amid a national backdrop of rising risk for officers on the job. In 2025, 53 officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty — fewer than in each of the prior two years — but the rate of assaults against officers increased from 2023 to 2025, according to the FBI.
