INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD released what it calls a "Critical Incident Video" from a March carjacking incident that led to officers shooting a suspect.
The incident began shortly after 4 p.m. on March 29, with IMPD officers responding to a carjacking that had happened at West 56th Street and Georgetown Road.
A traffic camera at the intersection captured the moment police say 33-year-old Michael Barnes ran a red light, crashed into another car and hit a truck head-on.
Barnes then exited his vehicle and ran up to another driver.
The woman behind the wheel told police she saw a man with blood on his face and a gun in his waistband walking toward her.
Frightened, she put her car in drive, but said Barnes pointed the gun at her face and said: "Don't do it," and then "Sorry."
She grabbed her niece from the backseat and Barnes took off.
An officer then arrives at the scene to speak with witnesses and the woman who was carjacked.
"What's the vehicle?" asks the unidentified officer.
"It's a 2014 Chevy Impala," said the victim.
The woman told officers she still had the car's keys on her, so the suspect wouldn't get very far.
Then the officer told dispatchers, "The vehicle is going to be a push to start."
He asked the victim, "Did he have a gun or anything?"
The victim replied, "Yes, he let me get the baby out of the car. He walked up to me with a gun. He's white. He has blood all over his face."
WARNING: The IMPD Critical Incident Video can be found here and contains graphic images and language.
Within minutes, officers located the stolen Impala near 62nd Street and Cooper Road.
Officers say Barnes was traveling west on Kessler Boulevard at 80 miles per hour, then increased his speed to 100 miles per hour. That chase continued until the vehicle Barnes was driving stops at the on-ramp of Interstate 65 south near East 38th Street.
Ofc. David Yohe was the first to arrive. Other officers arrived within seconds.
Yohe's body cam shows Barnes getting out of the car, turning and pointing a gun at officers. IMPD said a passing motorist who had a dash camera caught video of Barnes pointing the gun.
Yohe then yells, "Hey!"
Officers fire shots toward Barnes, hitting him multiple times. More than a dozen gun shots could be heard on the witness' dash camera video.
Yohe then radioed, "Police-action shooting! Police-action shooting! Stay back! Stay back! Guys, he's got his hands up! Let's go out, Let's go out!"
Officers approached and can be heard yelling, "Don't touch the gun. Hands out! Hands out!"
Officers can then be seen approaching Barnes once he was down on the ground and then providing first aid. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but was later said to be stable.
IMPD claims it found a 9mm pistol next to the car Barnes had been in and released an image of it.
Police arrested Barnes on a warrant out of Grant County on gun and drug charges. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office then charged Barnes with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, armed robbery, resisting law enforcement and other charges.
The incident is being investigated by IMPD's Critical Incident Response Team, and IMPD's Internal Affairs Unit is also investigating.
Court documents
Court documents shed light on what investigators claim happened.
Shortly after 4 p.m. on March 29, IMPD officers responded to a carjacking that had happened at West 56th Street and Georgetown Road.
A woman told police she was in her boyfriend's car when she saw a gold Cadillac run a red light on 56th Street and hit a Chevy Cruze. She also saw the Cadillac hit a nearby Schwann's truck.
The Cadillac involved in the collision then went west and stopped to her left in a curb lane on West 56 Street near Georgetown.
At that point, the woman decided to try and help the driver who had been hit by the Cadillac. She locked the doors of her own car for her niece's safety and approached the other driver.
She said she soon realized someone was forcing their way out of the passenger side front door of the car and saw the woman sprint away. She wasn't sure why the woman was running away, but she thought she should go back to her own car for her niece's safety.
That's when Michael Barnes, 33, approached their car. Still bloody from the recent crash, the woman said Barnes reportedly had a gun in his waistband.
When the woman put her hand on the gearshift to put the car in drive, Barnes allegedly drew the gun, pointed it directly at her face and said, "Don't do it."
She told him not to shoot her, and he allegedly told her to get out of the car.
The woman told Barnes that her niece was in the back of the car, and asked him to at least let her get the child out first. She got out, went around the car and took her niece out of the booster seat.
Barnes then allegedly told the woman, "Sorry," and fled northbound on Georgetown Road in the her Impala.
But the driver of the Schwann's truck had reportedly seen Barnes scrambling out of the Cadillac with a pistol in his hand and immediately called police.
Around 4:15 pm, an IMPD officer saw a vehicle that matched the description of the carjacked Impala near West 62nd Street and Cooper Road.
He activated his lights and attempted to stop the Impala, which fled eastbound on West 62 Street and then south on Michigan Road.
Barnes reportedly turned west onto Kessler Boulevard and was going 80 miles per hour, according to officers. Police said Barnes wove through several roads before finally heading south on Kessler Boulevard, where his speed allegedly increased to 100 miles per hour.
When he reached the south end of the bridge over Interstate 65 and 38th Street, police said Barnes turned right onto the on-ramp of eastbound 38th Street and southbound I-65, before coming to a stop at the end of the ramp.
An IMPD officer stopped his car about 25 yards behind the Impala. The officer got out of his car and drew his gun. Another officer stopped to the right of the other officer's car, and also got out of his car and drew his pistol.
Barnes reportedly opened the door and exited the car. Police claim Barnes turned to his left and faced the officers, while raising the pistol the woman earlier said he threatened her with. IMPD officers said Barnes pointed his gun at one of them.
Officers fired their weapons, hitting Barnes multiple times. When he was taken into custody, police said they "immediately" provided the suspect with aid.
Barnes was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for treatment. Police said the pistol seen in Barnes' hands during the shooting was recovered at the scene.
Officers also found Barnes was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious felon in Grant County in 2020.
