Bradford
An Illinois man was formally charged Friday for a U-Haul police chase that left thousands of dollars in damages throughout Franklin.
Troy E. Bradford Jr., of Elgin, Illinois, is charged with resisting law enforcement as a Level 5 felony, criminal recklessness as a Level 6 felony, two counts of attempted auto theft as a Level 6 felony and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident as a Class B misdemeanor. Prosecutors say the 33-year-old led Franklin Police on a chase around the city in a U-Haul after robbing an Indianapolis Target on Dec. 30.
Numerous videos posted to social media show several police cars hot on the trail of the U-Haul as it is driven toward the intersection of U.S. 31 and Jefferson Street. In one video, which has garnered millions of views and thousands of likes on TikTok, the driver crashes into vehicles stopped at the intersection.
The video then shows the driver bailing out of the U-Haul, running through the strip mall southeast of the intersection, crossing Jefferson Street and disappearing behind CVS. The video also shows several police running after the driver in foot pursuit.
Court documents filed Friday reveal more details about the chase, including Bradford’s attempt to carjack two drivers and his attempt to hide inside CVS.
The robbery that led to the chase took place at the Target on Southport Road. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told Franklin Police the U-Haul, then believed to be occupied by two people had stolen items using a weapon that appeared to be a handgun. IMPD had asked Franklin Police to be on the lookout for the U-Haul, according to a probable cause affidavit.
It was later determined that it was only Bradford inside the vehicle, the affidavit says.
A Franklin officer spotted the U-Haul in the parking lot of the Marathon gas station near Interstate 65 at 2:59 p.m. Dec. 30, watching it for a time until backup arrived. Officers attempted to do a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as Bradford, fled. He allegedly drove northbound and then southbound on I-65, completing two U-turns at the crossovers nearest to the King Street overpass, before exiting on King Street again, the affidavit shows.
Bradford turned on Jim Black Road and did a U-turn back to King Street, where he weaved back and forth between the east and westbound lanes while heading west. He went the wrong way around the roundabout at Eastview Drive and continued down King Street, according to the affidavit.
The chase continued from King Street to Home Avenue to Champ Ulysses Street to South Main Street and into the south parking lot at the Johnson County Courthouse. Officers tried to block him at the parking lot, but the driver hopped the curb and the chase continued on West Court Street, the affidavit shows.
Bradford reportedly fled west on Jefferson Street, north on Walnut Street and west on Clark Street — entering the parking lot of Northwood Elementary School. He drove over a curb, through a fence and the playground at the school before driving back onto U.S. 31 at Mallory Parkway, according to the affidavit.
Police didn’t follow him through the playground but re-engaged at Mallory Parkway. Stop sticks were deployed and the U-Haul drove over them, but the chase continued south on U.S. 31.
At this point, police say several of the U-Haul’s wheels had severely damaged tires or were down to the rim, the affidavit says.
While going south through the Jefferson Street intersection, Bradford sideswiped a man’s vehicle and continued south. Near County Road 80 South, police say he drove into a woman who was slowing down to move and get out of the way.
Bradford was in the middle of both southbound lanes when he struck the woman, causing her to go into the median. She was then struck a second time as he drove into the median. He then did a U-turn and went back north, both the affidavit and Franklin Police crash reports show.
Again approaching the Jefferson Street intersection at a high rate of speed, he encountered stopped traffic. But instead of stopping, he attempted to drive between the stopped cars. The U-Haul struck multiple vehicles and got stuck, the affidavit says.
Crash reports show he hit three vehicles at this point. Bradford bailed on the U-Haul and fled officers on foot.
While fleeing, Bradford allegedly tried to unlawfully enter several vehicles — including one of the cars he hit. An Indiana State Trooper’s body camera captured this attempt, according to the affidavit.
Bradford ran into the CVS parking lot and up to the pharmacy drive-thru, where he tried to unsuccessfully tried to steal a car driven by an elderly woman. He then tried to enter the pharmacy through a window but it was locked, the affidavit says.
A state trooper then tased Bradford, and he was apprehended shortly after with the aid of Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies. While on the ground, Bradford reportedly asked officers to shoot him or kill him, saying he had “nothing to lose,” the affidavit says.
Police say Bradford did not initially give them an answer as to why he ran. He eventually said he was scared and that he had just been released on a previous sentence in Illinois.
Officers searched Bradford and found a broken glass pipe, which he said was used to smoke crack cocaine. They also found an ice pick, drill bit, a vape device and $178.55, the affidavit shows.
A search of records later found that Bradford’s license was suspended out of Illinois. Another search found that Bradford had a previous conviction for fleeing police out of Kane County, Illinois dating back to November 2019, according to the affidavit.
Bradford had a small wound on one of his hands, but was otherwise uninjured, the affidavit shows. None of the officers, nor anyone else involved in the chase, was injured.
Police impounded the U-Haul, which contained the items that were reported stolen from Target and the weapon that was reportedly used in the robbery — an Airsoft pistol.
At Northwood Elementary, the U-Haul reportedly damaged a metal picnic table and a fence. Grass and mulch were also damaged, according to a crash report.
Students went back to school on Thursday and were instructed to stay away from that area while playing outside for recess. It was not expected to affect the school day, said Robin Betts, a Franklin Community Schools spokesperson.
An estimate for the damage at the school was still being conducted Friday. A Franklin Police crash report estimated damage of between $5,001 to $10,000.
Total damage from all the crashes is estimated at anywhere from $61,000 to $122,500, crash reports show.
