A Texas man accused of shooting someone on an Indianapolis interstate was arrested at a Franklin hotel Monday.
Ernesto Espinoza, 24, of Donna, Texas, was booked into the Marion County jail on a preliminary charge of attempted murder. Formal charges will be determined by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
At about 9 p.m. Saturday, the Indiana State Police was notified by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department about a person who arrived at a local hospital with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. A preliminary investigation determined the person was allegedly struck by gunfire while driving on Interstate 70 near Shadeland Avenue in Indianapolis, according to an ISP news release.
Indiana State Police Detectives responded to the hospital to investigate, and after speaking with the person shot, they began analyzing information, including data from Flock traffic cameras and surveillance footage from a business. They reportedly identified both Espinoza, who they believe is involved in the shooting, and his vehicle, according to the news release.
Espinoza’s vehicle was found by Franklin Police at a local hotel. After receiving a search warrant for the hotel room in the overnight hours of Feb. 5, ISP detectives and a SWAT team searched the room and impounded the vehicle. They subsequently arrested Espinoza, the news release said.
ISP Indianapolis District troopers investigated 56 gunfire incidents on Indianapolis-area interstates in 2023. They also investigated another 236 incidents of road rage where a gun was reported to be pointed or displayed.
Saturday’s incident is the fourth shots fired incident to occur on area interstates, according to the news release.
“The Indiana State Police would like to strongly discourage motorists from engaging in any type of road rage as we are seeing these incidents lead to violence,” police say.
