INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD arrested two people after they allegedly beat a man severely on the east side Monday evening.
Court documents say the suspects also hit the victim with their car twice.
It happened near East 16th Street and North Shadeland Avenue. Officers arrived to find Daniel Vasquez lying in the road west of the intersection. They say he was unconscious and transported to Eskenazi Hospital with a brain bleed and severe swelling in his head.
A witness told police she was at the red light when her stepson saw Vasquez get hit by a car. She then told him to record the incident on his phone.
She said the victim then banged on the suspects’ window, triggering a man and woman to get out, saying they then allegedly beat him.
According to court documents, the witness told police, “He saw the victim get tackled. The girl kicked the victim in the side of the head. Then, the guy grabbed the victim’s head and banged it on the concrete in the middle of the intersection at 16/Shadeland, maybe 2 or 3 times. Then, the guy grabbed the victim’s shirt and shoved him... the victim put his hands up appearing to say no more please.”
Police said the video then shows Vasquez walking westbound. It also shows the suspects in their car turning around, driving through a parking lot and “intentionally” striking the victim again.
The documents say Vasquez was intubated and had a subarachnoid hemorrhage with a bolt put in, along with skull fractures and a nasal fracture with displacement.
Detectives used surveillance cameras, license plate readers and the witness video to track down the suspects’ car. On Wednesday, it was found in the 9800 block of Pendleton Pike with Quintel Cook and Kayla Staten inside.
According to police, the passenger side of the hood was dented, and there was also a large dent in the A-pillar of the passenger side. The windshield was busted beside the dent, and there appeared to be a piece of bone with possible hair attached between the A-pillar and windshield.
Staten told detectives that Cook was driving and honked at a man crossing the street. She said the man then came up to their window and punched Cook in the face. She said he was trying to de-escalate the problem.
Cook declined to talk without a lawyer present.
Cook was arrested on an attempted murder allegation, and Staten was arrested on an allegation of battery with serious bodily injury. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the case and will make a determination about possible charges.