DEC. 11 UPDATE
UPDATE: Indiana State Police identified the two officers involved in the shooting as sheriff’s deputy Steve Love, who has been with the agency for 11 years, and state police Sgt. Thomas Burgett, a 14-year member of the force. Both officers were placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, per each agency’s request.
ORIGINAL STORY (DEC. 10)
A manhunt Thursday night led to a police-involved shooting Friday morning in Bargersville.
Efrain Perez-Ramirez, 44, is in serious condition at an area hospital after police shot him during an incident Friday morning in the Three Notch Village neighborhood in Bargersville.
The chain of events began about 9 p.m. Thursday, when Bargersville police observed a truck that had failed to signal a turn near State Road 135 and Whiteland Road. Police pulled over the truck at 9:20 p.m. Thursday near State Road 144 and Morningside Drive because they believed the driver was also intoxicated, according to a Bargersville Police Department news release.
Police asked the man for his name, he falsely identified himself, then fled, according to the news release.
There was a short vehicle pursuit. The suspect drove through a yard before he got out of the car and fled on foot in the 100 block of Old Plank Road, according to an Indiana State Police news release.
Officers observed the suspect carrying a handgun, and said he pointed it at them. No shots were fired by the suspect or the officers at that time, the news release said.
The foot pursuit continued through Old Town Bargersville and into the Southway neighborhood, Bargersville Police Chief Todd Bertram said.
The search for the suspect continued overnight. Just before 8 a.m. Friday, officers spotted a man who matched the description of the suspect. He fled on foot again, and officers lost sight of him, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said during a news conference Friday morning.
About 8:40 a.m., police received a report that a man matching the suspect’s description was on Wagon Road in the Three Notch Village neighborhood. Two state police troopers joined Bargersville police and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in a search for the suspect, Perrine said.
Officers found Perez-Ramirez hiding alongside a house in the 100 block of Old Trail Drive. The suspect allegedly pointed a handgun at officers, and both a sheriff’s deputy and state police trooper opened fire on the suspect, striking him, the state police news release said.
Perez-Ramirez dropped the gun, but continued to be non-compliant. A Bargersville police officer tased him. He was placed in handcuffs, and officers rendered aid to him until paramedics arrived and rushed him to an area hospital, according to the news release.
A handgun was recovered from the area where he was taken into custody, the news release said.
No officers were injured during the shooting. Police believe Perez-Ramirez was the only suspect, Perrine said during the news conference.
A joint investigation is ongoing between Bargersville police, the sheriff’s office and state police.
Perez-Ramirez remained in police custody Friday afternoon at the hospital. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if any, charges to file.
