INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Meers has formally charged the driver who struck and injured an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer and a security guard in downtown Indianapolis Saturday night, prompting a response from IMPD Chief Terry, who called the incident deeply disturbing.
Derrick Bryant, 28, has been charged with:
- Four counts of Resisting Law Enforcement (Level 5 Felonies)
- Resisting Law Enforcement (Level 6 Felony)
- Resisting Law Enforcement (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident (Level 6 Felony)
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More (Class A Misdemeanor)
The officer and security guard are expected to recover and did not suffer significant injuries. No one else was seriously injured.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the officer approached a vehicle in the 200 block of South Meridian Street around 10:25 p.m. after it had been continuously honking its horn for nearly two minutes. The officer, in full uniform, made contact with the driver and requested a license.
Bryant then turned the wheel and accelerated, striking the officer's leg and pinning his arm between the door and the driver's seat. The officer was dragged before freeing himself and falling to the ground. The vehicle then backed toward the officer — still on the ground — before driving away northbound on Meridian Street.
Bryant pulled into a nearby parking lot and fled on foot. Officers located the vehicle next to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Three other occupants were still inside and told officers their friend had fled.
About an hour later, a Marion County Sheriff's deputy spotted a man matching the Bryants' description near West Louisiana Street. The suspect fled on foot but was apprehended in front of the IMPD Downtown Roll Call building.
Officers noted signs of intoxication at the scene. At Eskenazi Hospital, Bryant told investigators he did not believe he was drunk but thought he was over the legal limit. He also admitted to using cocaine prior to attending the Supercross event downtown, where the traffic stop occurred as he was leaving.
He consented to a blood draw, which was submitted to the IMPD property room for testing.
Chief Terry said video of the incident circulated on social media and left her "angry and deeply disturbed."
— Chief Tanya Terry (@IMPD_Chief) March 8, 2026
"The footage shows a vehicle recklessly fleeing after striking a security guard," Terry said. "Shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that an IMPD officer was also hit by the same vehicle."
What made the situation worse, the chief said, was the reaction from bystanders.
"What is most disappointing is that many people continued recording on their phones and going about their night after watching those working to keep the area safe get injured," Terry said. "Some others can be heard in the crowd seemingly cheering. That is troubling and it is unacceptable."
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