A Muncie police officer and three suspects were injured Friday in a police-action shooting.
According to Fox 59, just before 3 p.m., an officer pulled a van over for a traffic violation. During the stop, the officer noticed suspicious activity inside the van. The nature of that suspicious activity was not disclosed, but drugs were later found inside the van.
Muncie Police Chief Steve Stewart said a narcotics officer assisted and attempted to open the passenger-side door to instruct the passenger to get out of the van. At that time, the van sped off. The officer was dragged along with the van for about 280 feet.
As he was being dragged, the officer fired his weapon at least once at the suspects inside the van, striking at least one of them. He was then flung from the vehicle.
The suspects continued to flee and the van eventually stopped in the 2200 block of North Turner Drive. All three suspects took off on foot. Two of the suspects were located at a nearby home. The third suspect was seen running between homes and was taken into custody.
All three suspects were taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. Two of the suspects are in stable condition and are expected to be released from the hospital and taken to jail. They were hurt while jumping from the moving van. The third, who was hit by the gunfire, is in critical condition and receiving surgery.
The injured officer is currently in stable condition. He suffered road rash on his legs and is expected to be okay.
Due to the fact that an officer fired his weapon, Indiana State Police will handle the investigation.