South Bend man charged with attempted murder after police shootout
MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WISH) — A 20-year-old South Bend man faces a preliminary charge of attempted murder after his arrest Tuesday night in connection with a Thursday night police shootout, Indiana State Police said in a news release.
Ian Steven McDonald Austin was arrested at an apartment in the 4500 block of Hickory Road in Mishawaka. That’s in the Hickory Village Apartments near South Bend’s Booth Tarkington Park.
The shootout happened as an Indiana State Excise Police member, whose identity state police did not share, was working a special detail around local convenience stores. The officer around 9:30 p.m. Thursday began following a silver car, a late 1990s or early 2000s Hondo Civic, on Rockne Drive.
The Honda’s driver stopped the car near the intersection of Rockne Drive and North Jacob Street and fired multiple shots at the excise officer’s vehicle before driving away. The officer returned fire. The officer was not hurt, but it was not known if the suspect was injured.
Anyone with information was asked to the call the Indiana State Police Bremen Post at 574-546-4900.