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Fight outside Fort Wayne Popeyes ends with 1 arrested, 1 hospitalized

Marchello Middleton, 42, of Fort Wayne. Middleton was arrested on Dec. 11, 2023, after police say he hit a man with his car during a fight at a Popeyes restaurant. (Provided Photo/Allen County jail)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — A man was arrested Monday afternoon after he hit another man with his car during a fight at a restaurant, the Fort Wayne Police Department says.

Fort Wayne police were called to a Popeyes in the 4400 block of Illinois Road on a report of a battery in progress around 2 p.m. Monday. That’s on the west side of the city.

When police arrived, they found a fight between two men and a woman had broken out.

Police say one of the men got into a vehicle and proceeded to hit the other man with his car, pinning him between the vehicle and the side of the restaurant.

The suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Marchello Middleton, fled the Popeyes. He was taken into custody an hour later in the 4000 block of Bass Road, a 10-minute drive northwest of the restaurant.

The man hit by the vehicle was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Middleton was being held at the Allen County jail without bond. He is facing charges of criminal recklessness, domestic battery, and leaving the scene of an accident that caused bodily injury.