Police are searching for armed suspects after police were shot at overnight in a residential neighborhood off U.S. 31 in New Whiteland.
No one was injured.
New Whiteland police attempted to pull over a car about 12:45 a.m. at Tracy and Saw Mill roads, said Joe Rynerson, New Whiteland police chief. The driver sped up, leading police on a 15-minute chase through town that involved several illegal maneuvers by the driver, he said.
The vehicle eventually entered a residential neighborhood near U.S. 31 and County Road 600 North. When they turned a corner in the 300 block of Deville Place, both men jumped out of the car with it still in drive, Rynerson said. The car hit a sign and coasted into a yard, barely missing the house and a tree before stopping, he said.
Two officers — one from New Whiteland and one from Whiteland — began to chase the suspects on foot. One of the suspects turned around and shot at the officers. Neither were injured, Rynerson said. Two shell casings were later found in the yard.
The suspects jumped a fence and disappeared, he said.
The Indiana State Police were called to help find the suspects, and drones and a helicopter were used to search for the men from the air. An officer and a specialized police dog that can track weapons came from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. That is how the shell casings were located.
“We have a lead on one of them, but we don’t know how strong it is at this point,” Rynerson said just before 10 a.m. on Friday.
Clark-Pleasant Schools decided not to initiate a lockdown of its schools because school officials were assured the situation was under control, they said. Rynerson has been in continuous contact with Superintendent Patrick Spray.
The suspects haven’t been seen since about 1 a.m., Rynerson said. He said he does not believe the community is in any danger. He does not believe the suspects are from Johnson County, but rather somewhere else in the state. He would not say where at this time.
Detectives are using the suspect’s car, a pair of shoes left behind and the two shell casings to aid in the search.
As of 10 a.m. Friday, New Whiteland is the only agency investigating, but they received help from several other agencies overnight, including local fire departments, Rynerson said.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
