Bautista
Police arrested a Greenwood man they say stole a car from a gas station, led police on a high-speed chase on U.S. 31 and caused an officer to go to the hospital last week.
Maka Omonni Bautista, 21, was arrested Thursday on preliminary charges of motor vehicle theft, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and resisting law enforcement, all felonies. He was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Marion County. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if any, charges to file.
Police were dispatched to a Speedway gas station on the 1300 block of South U.S. 31 shortly before 8:30 p.m. Thursday after a woman reported someone stole her car while she was inside the station. The woman told police that she left the vehicle running when she went inside the station, and shortly after an unknown person left with the car, heading south, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
The woman told police that the vehicle wasn’t hers and that it belonged to her boyfriend’s mother. The mother told police that the woman was allowed to drive the car, the report says.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Greenwood police were told that Whiteland police had spotted the car near the intersection of U.S. 31 and Tracy Road, heading north. Whiteland police ran the license plate on the car and determined that it was the stolen vehicle, the report said.
Whiteland police attempted to pull the vehicle over, however, the driver of the car did not comply and instead sped up. The driver weaved in and out of traffic attempting to lose the officer. The officer informed dispatchers that a pursuit was in progress, according to the report.
As police pursued the car, Greenwood police deployed stop sticks on Apryl Drive to stop the driver. One of the car’s tires ran over the stop sticks, the report said.
The car continued to go northbound on U.S. 31 at around 90 miles per hour, and ran multiple red lights, police say. Police observed a burning smell coming from one of the vehicle’s tires and later saw the tire disintegrate, according to the report.
As the car approached Stop 13 Road, it made a U-turn onto southbound U.S. 31, before turning into the parking lot at Greenwood Park Mall. At the mall, he continued through several parking lots before stopping at a dead end located between BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse and Dave and Busters, the report said.
The driver, later identified as Bautista, got out of the car and ran from the police. Officers told Bautista to stop, but he did not comply, according to the report.
When Bautista reached the dead end, he turned around and ran back towards the police. At that point, an officer brought him to the ground and handcuffed him, the report says.
Bautista resisted the officers’ attempt to handcuff him, and during the incident, one of the officers reported they felt a pop and severe discomfort from his ankle. The officer was unable to stand on one of his legs and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where he was diagnosed with a broken leg, the report said.
Greenwood police reviewed security footage from the gas station and saw a man matching Bautista’s description on the footage, according to the report.
Bautista was taken to Johnson County jail, where he is held without bond due to an out-of-county warrant. A warrant was issued for his arrest in Marion County in June, after he was charged with two misdemeanors, including unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, online court records show.
