BLOOMINGTON — A Bloomington man was arrested after he was on the run for nearly three years after a 2021 multi-county pursuit that left a Martinsville woman severely injured.
Bloomington Police officers arrested 30-year-old Oshawn Martez McCullough in the 2400 block of South Winslow Court at 9:43 p.m.
Police have been looking for McCullough after he fled his hospital bed after waking from a medically induced coma.
McCullough hit a Martinsville woman with his car while evading officers during a pursuit on Aug. 5, 2021, just before 4 p.m. The woman suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’ that included a broken femur, fractured right foot, a sternal fracture, multiple rib fractures, and multiple lumbar fractures.
The pursuit began after a Bloomington Police officer attempted to stop McCullough for traveling left of center when turning onto Basswood Drive at Bloomfield Road.
When police approached the vehicle, they recognized McCullough, who was driving. He was wanted in another investigation.
Officers requested McCullough’s identification and asked him to exit the vehicle. That is when he sped off.
Officers pursued. McCullough turned north onto Interstate 69, where the chase continued until the Sample Road exit, when Bloomington Police terminated the pursuit. McCullough reportedly continued driving north towards Morgan County.
Monroe County Dispatch contacted Morgan County Dispatch, alerting deputies to be looking for McCullough’s vehicle. A sheriff’s deputy parked in the median near the county line spotted McCullough’s car approaching within a group of cars and began following him north on I-69. McCullough took off at a high rate of speed.
The deputy caught up to McCullough, who traveled more than 100 miles per hour. McCullough refused to stop passing vehicles on the shoulder and losing control of the car, which crashed into a ditch.
McCullough continued turning north, driving into oncoming traffic, traveling south on I-69, and sideswiped another car. He continued driving north towards Martinsville, where an officer had deployed stop sticks.
When McCullough approached, he swerved to avoid the stop sticks, but the stop sticks hit the passenger side tires. McCullough then lost control and collided head-on with another car.
The driver of that vehicle, a woman from Martinsville, was taken to IU Bloomington Hospital with serious injuries that would require surgery.
McCullough was pulled out of his vehicle and taken into custody. He was found to have over $2,000 in cash, along with a handgun. Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies then learned McCullough was wanted on a warrant in Kentucky.
Medics evaluated McCullough at the scene and determined he could have serious internal injuries. He was flown to IU Health Methodist Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.
Police asked the hospital to alert them of McCullough’s condition and when he would be released. When officers responded to the hospital the following morning, they learned that McCullough had run out of the hospital.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges stemming from the police chase. Those charges include:
- Resisting law enforcement with a vehicle causing death or injury, a Level 3 felony
- Serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, a Level 4 felony
- Resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony
- Felon carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction in the last 15 years, a Level 5 felony
- Three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, all Class B misdemeanors
During Wednesday’s arrest, McCullough landed new charges, including:
- Dealing in meth of 10 or more grams, a Level 2 felony
- Possession of meth, a Level 3 felony
- Serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, a level 4 felony
- Possession of cocaine, a level 4 felony
The state has also filed a petition to revoke a 2014 drug charge.
He is currently being held in the Monroe County Jail without bond.
McCullough will appear in Monroe Circuit Court 3 on Monday, June 24, at 1:00 p.m. for an initial hearing on the new charges.
At his initial hearing on Thursday, a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf regarding the charges stemming from the pursuit. He will appear in Monroe Circuit Court 3 on Monday, June 24, for a bail review hearing at 11:00 a.m.
An evidentiary hearing will be held in Monroe Circuit Court 3 on Monday, June 24, at 11:00 a.m. on the petition to revoke probation.
