Davis
An Indianapolis man was arrested after police say he tried to flee police while an officer was inside his car, led them on a chase to the southside and strangled a police K-9 that was biting him.
Tyler David Davis, 23, of Indianapolis, was arrested on charges of kidnapping, intimidation with a deadly weapon, battery committed with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, pointing a firearm, confinement, interfering with law enforcement, theft and criminal recklessness, all felonies. He was also arrested on charges of cruelty to a law enforcement service animal, driving while suspended, reckless driving and interfering with law enforcement, all misdemeanors, along with a court order and two out-of-county warrants.
Greenwood police were called to the area of Circle K, 800 N. U.S. Highway 31, around 10 p.m. Monday after it was reported that a man had a gun pointed at a woman. The man was later identified as Davis, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
When officers arrived at the gas station, they found an SUV with Davis, the woman and another male. The woman and the other man were asked to leave the vehicle and they complied, according to the report.
Davis, who was in the passenger seat, did not comply with officers’ requests for him to exit the SUV. The officer opened the door, and Davis continued to refuse to exit, according to the report.
An officer then grabbed Davis’ arm to get him to exit the SUV, but he allegedly ripped his arm away from the officers and jumped from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat. The officer followed to try to prevent him from fleeing the scene, the report says.
Police say Davis put the car in drive to try to flee the scene, but the officer put the car back in park. Davis then put the car in drive again and began to move forward. The officer tried to put the car back in park again, but Davis then put it in drive and began to drive away with two officers inside the vehicle.
Davis allegedly began to drive in the parking lot at a high rate of speed as the second officer held onto both the steering wheel and Davis. The officer did this in order to prevent himself from falling out of the car.
The officer and Davis struggled for the gearshift several times and the officer struck him in an attempt to get him out of the vehicle. Davis reportedly put the car in drive again, and the second officer was able to exit the car without injury as it fled the scene, according to the report.
Davis turned onto U.S. 31, going south before heading east on Fry Road. He then turned north on Madison Avenue, continuing north until the area of Banta Road in Homecroft. On westbound Banta Road, Davis reportedly drove through a yard in the 1600 block before losing control and causing the SUV to flip over and come to a stop upside down, the report says.
Davis, who was shirtless, then exited the SUV and fled on foottoward Madison Avenue. He crossed the street and continued to run past several houses along Cardinal Drive before officers lost sight of him, according to the report.
Police then deployed a K-9 officer and his handler to search for Davis along the 1000 block of Cardinal Drive. Officers eventually found Davis hiding next to a house. He allegedly did not comply, so officers deployed the K-9, the report says.
Officers asked Davis to show his hands multiple times, and he did not respond. Police say the K-9 was making noises that sounded like we as actively biting Davis, but Davis never yelled in pain.
After two minutes of trying to get Davis to comply, officers began to hear the K-9 struggle to breathe. They approached Davis with guns drawn and saw the K-9 was still biting him in his arm, however, Davis was allegedly laying on the K-9’s neck in an attempt to strangle him, police say.
Officers asked him to release the K-9, but he refused to comply. At this time, it also appeared that the K-9 was not moving and it was unclear if he was breathing, according to the report.
Eventually, Davis complied and removed himself from the K-9 and was taken into custody. The K-9 involved in the incident is doing fine following the incident, said Matt Fillenwarth, assistant chief of police.
Davis was on his left arm and his groin area. He was then taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, according to the report.
Officers searched Davis’ vehicle and later found a silver handgun inside the SUV. The gun had a round in the chamber, police say.
Investigators also spoke with the woman and the man who were inside the SUV when the incident first began. The woman said Davis had fled from police because he had active warrants for his arrest, the report says.
The woman told police she had gotten into a verbal argument with Davis at the Beech Grove Walmart prior to the incident. The argument was not physical, and Davis, the woman and the other man later left the Walmart to go to the other man’s Greenwood residence. Once there, she left the other man’s car and got into her own, with Davis following. This was when Davis put up what she believed to be a gun to her neck and made statements of “stop playing, stop playing, let’s go,” according to the report.
After this, the woman exited her car with Davis and reentered the other man’s car. They then went to Circle K, the report says.
The other man said that he went to the gas station to get gas and that he did not observe Davis pointing a gun at the woman. He also told police he wanted to press charges for Davis stealing his SUV, which he crashed while fleeing police, the report says.
Davis was taken to the Johnson County jail after being treated for his injuries. He is wanted on a warrant out of Marion County for armed robbery and on a warrant out of Shelby County. He also had a suspended license, according to police.
