A robbery call at a Greenwood vape shop ended in a crash at a White Castle early Tuesday morning.
Marcus L. Johnson, 27, of Indianapolis, was arrested on preliminary charges of burglary, resisting law enforcement using a vehicle, auto theft, possession of stolen property, resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of a property-damage crash, reckless driving and an out-of-state warrant. Daylon L. Hall Jr., 30, also of Indianapolis, was arrested on preliminary charges of burglary, theft and resisting law enforcement.
Greenwood police were called to Vape & Smoke Shop, 11 Declaration Drive, around 3:50 a.m. Tuesday on a report of a robbery in progress. A witness observed two men leaving the store with trash bags full of items. The men were then seen getting into a white sedan with Texas plates before heading toward U.S. 31, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
Officers quickly found a vehicle matching this description in the area going north on U.S. 31 with its lights off. An officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the car turned on its lights and then fled at a high rate of speed, according to the report.
As police pursued the vehicle, the driver — later identified as Johnson — was driving in a manner police described as “reckless” in the report. When the car reached the Stop 18 Road intersection, police say it did a full circle turn in the middle of the intersection before going east on Stop 18 Road.
At the intersection of Stop 18 Road and Profit Street, the sedan struck an SUV and continued to flee eastbound. The female SUV driver reported severe pain and was transported to a local hospital, police say.
Police continued to pursue the sedan as it turned north onto Sheek Road. As the car approached the curve at Sheek Road and Main Street, it lost control and crashed into the parking lot of White Castle. Two men jumped out of the car and fled on foot, according to the report.
The driver was caught immediately. The passenger, later identified as Hall, ran north across Main Street into the parking lot of Best Western, where he was captured, the report says.
Before police began to question Johnson, he began to laugh about the situation. He also reportedly said he is a “real gangster” and is “about this life,” the report says.
Police say Johnson also allegedly said he knew he was caught when officers saw his car pulling out onto U.S. 31 after leaving the vape shop, so he figured he would lead them on a chase. He also said he hoped officers would eventually stop chasing him.
Johnson also told police the car was stolen, and after some investigation, officers determined it was stolen in Texas last week. He allegedly told police he stole the car from his mother after an argument, according to the report.
He also told police he had a warrant for his arrest on a weapons charge from California, the report shows.
Officers tried to speak with Hall, but he did not say much about the incident, according to the report.
Later, police searched the vehicle and recovered the stolen items. The vape shop’s owner determined the stolen items totaled over $9,562, the report shows.
Both Johnson and Hall were taken to the Johnson County jail.
