INDIANAPOLIS – On Thursday, February 22, 2024, at approximately 5:20 p.m., an Indiana State Trooper saw a gray Ford Mustang spinning tires and sliding sideways out of a parking lot onto 10th Street near Tibbs Avenue in a reckless manner.
The Mustang then rapidly accelerated westbound on 10th Street. The trooper activated his lights and pulled behind the Mustang to pull the driver over. When the police lights were turned on, the driver of the Mustang accelerated more, pulling away from the trooper. The trooper activated his siren, but the driver of the Mustang still refused to pull over, continuing to accelerate. The trooper began notifying dispatch of the pursuit, giving the location. The pursuit continued westbound on 10th Street and eventually southbound on Holt Road. Seconds after the chase began, the Mustang approached the intersection of Holt Road and Michigan Street. The driver of the Mustang failed to stop at the red light, entering the intersection at a high speed and crashing into a white Buick Enclave.
The driver of the Buick, a passenger in the Buick, along with the driver and passenger in the Mustang, all sustained serious injuries. The occupants of both vehicles, four total, were all rushed to area hospitals by EMS. The 33-year-old female driver of the Buick remains hospitalized in very critical condition; the male passenger in the Buick sustained critical injuries and was hospitalized for several days. The driver and passenger in the Mustang also sustained critical injuries.
Indiana State Police Detectives and the Crash Reconstruction Team investigated the scene. The crash investigation revealed that the Mustang was traveling up to 100 miles per hour at the point of impact with the Buick, with no indication of braking. Investigators also determined traffic on southbound Holt Road had a red light when the southbound Mustang entered the intersection at a high rate of speed.
The driver of the Mustang was identified as 24-year-old Joseph Means of New Palestine, Indiana. While investigators were speaking with him in the hospital, they located cocaine and marijuana in his belongings. Due to his injuries, Means has been hospitalized since the crash. He was arrested today, March 9, 2024, upon release from the hospital and transported to the Marion County Jail.Â
Investigators filed for a search warrant to search the inside of the Mustang and obtain electronic information from the vehicle. A judge granted the warrant, and a subsequent search of the Mustang revealed marijuana, an identification belonging to Means, and several cell phones. Data recovery from the vehicle that gives information about the crash is currently pending. A blood draw for impairment was also obtained from Means in the hospital. The results of those tests are also pending.
Means now faces the preliminary charges of resisting arrest with a vehicle causing catastrophic injury, resisting arrest with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, and possession of cocaine.
