INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis police officer accused of the attempted murder of an IMPD detective will plead guilty to aggravated battery and pointing a firearm, according to paperwork filed Friday in Marion County Criminal Court 3.
Patrol Officer Adrian Aurs, 43, sparked a manhunt across two states in July 2016 after he exchanged gunfire with another officer at his estranged wife’s south side apartment. Aurs fired at the detective three times – striking him in the right side and arm. The detective returned fire but didn’t hit Aurs.
Aurs, an 18-year veteran of the force, was eventually apprehended in Ohio following a stand-off situation on the Brent Spence Bridge.
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Aurs was charged with attempted murder, residential entry and two counts of pointing a firearm. He was placed on suspension immediately following his arrest.
A jury trial for Aurs was scheduled to begin Monday morning, but was canceled after a plea agreement was filed Friday afternoon. Instead, Aurs appeared before Judge Sheila Carlisle for a change of plea hearing.
The most serious offense Aurs will plead guilty to, aggravated battery, is a level 3 felony with a sentencing range of three to 16 years in prison and an advisory sentence of nine years.It also carries a fine of up to $10,000.
A sentencing hearing in the case was scheduled for March 23.
No stranger to headlines
The arrest in 2016 wasn’t the first time Aurs had made news.
In 2003, Aurs was among a number of officers who were pursuing 23-year-old Justin B. Coates when Coates opened fire on police near the intersection of 46th Street and Park Forest Court.
Aurs was struck in the chest, but was wearing a bulletproof vest and didn't sustain serious injury. Police returned fire at Coates, striking him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In 2008, Aurs and several other IMPD officers were hailed as heroes when they pulled a woman from a burning car just moments before it exploded. They were awarded with a Red Cross Lifesaver Award for their efforts.
Aurs pleaded guilty in May 2005 to a charge of drunken driving after rear-ending another car on I-65 near Keystone Avenue. Aurs was temporarily suspended from the force and given one year on probation.
In 2012, he was involved in a fatal crash at the intersection of 28th and Harding streets.
Aurs' vehicle struck a Lincoln MKZ driven by Williams Wilkins, 78, of Greenwood. Prosecutors said that Wilkins slowed down but didn't stop at a flashing red light and that Aurs had the right-of-way.
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A blood alcohol test showed Aurs had a 0.052 BAC at the time of the crash. – below the legal limit of 0.08. Prosecutors declined to charge Aurs for the crash, calling it an "unfortunate accident."
