A routine traffic stop attempt in Whitestown turned into an hours-long manhunt early Thursday after a driver sped off, crashed near a rural intersection and ran from officers while allegedly trying to ditch a gun. Police say 19-year-old Peyton Bellinger of Indianapolis is now facing a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges after the vehicle he was driving, and a firearm found at the scene, both turned out to be stolen.
The incident began around 2:27 a.m. Thursday when a Whitestown officer tried to pull over a white passenger vehicle for several traffic violations, according to Clinton County Daily News. Instead of stopping, the driver took off at a high rate of speed, according to the seed report from WRTV. Police say the driver then headed the wrong way through a roundabout at Main Street and Mills Drive before crashing near County Road 525 South and County Road 700 East, per FOX59.
Driver Ran, Allegedly Tossed a Gun
After the crash, police identified the driver as Bellinger, who ran from the vehicle on foot. Officers watched as he allegedly tried to discard a firearm during the brief pursuit, FOX59 reported. That prompted officers to establish a search perimeter and call for a K-9 team and drone operator, per the WRTV report.
With help from the Zionsville Police Department, a drone was used to locate and track Bellinger, according to the Clinton County Daily News account. Officers issued warnings over a public address system, directing nearby residents to stay inside while also telling Bellinger to surrender, the outlet reported. Bellinger kept running even after that warning, according to WRTV, and a police K-9 was ultimately deployed to apprehend him.
Medical Treatment and a Released Passenger
Once Bellinger was in custody, officers provided him medical aid before he was taken to a local hospital for injuries sustained during the crash and his apprehension, WRTV reported. FOX59 similarly reported that he was brought to an area hospital for treatment of injuries from the incident. A passenger in the vehicle was also treated for crash-related injuries, then briefly detained for questioning before being released, per the same Clinton County Daily News account.
Investigators later determined that both the vehicle and the firearm involved in the incident had been reported stolen, according to the outlet's reporting. Bellinger was booked into the Boone County Jail after being medically cleared, WRTV reported.
Preliminary Charges Pile Up
Bellinger faces a lengthy list of preliminary charges stemming from the chase, crash and foot pursuit. Those reported by WRTV include resisting law enforcement using a vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 4 felony; resisting law enforcement using a motor vehicle, a Level 6 felony; operating while intoxicated resulting in bodily injury, a Level 6 felony; auto theft, a Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; reckless driving causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor; leaving the scene of an accident with bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor; operating while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor.
Indiana's resisting law enforcement statute, part of Indiana General Assembly code, names forcibly resisting, obstructing or interfering with a law enforcement officer, though the excerpt available does not spell out how every element applies to this particular case. The charges remain preliminary, and no information on a court filing or case outcome was available.
Multiple Agencies Responded
The search and arrest drew a multi-agency response. The Boone County Sheriff's Office, Lebanon Police Department, Zionsville Police Department and Zionsville Fire Department and EMS all assisted Whitestown police with the investigation, according to the Clinton County Daily News report.
Drone-assisted manhunts for armed suspects fleeing in stolen vehicles aren't unique to central Indiana. In Kent, Washington, police used a drone to track a man accused of fleeing in a stolen car, striking an occupied vehicle and running through neighboring properties while allegedly discarding a loaded handgun, according to iLoveKent. In that case, the drone located the fleeing man and allowed an officer to direct ground units toward his position, the outlet reported.
