Indianapolis, IN
IMPD reviewing after video shows officer threatening Black teen driver
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said it’s conducting an internal review after a video showing an officer threatening to kill a 17-year-old Black driver was posted on social media.
Trevion Taylor, 17, was driving away from an anti-ICE protest near Warren Central High School on the east side Feb. 6 when he noticed a police car following him, his mother, Ambar Taylor, told IndyStar in an interview. Trevion graduated early but went to join some friends who were participating, she said.
He was pulled over at a gas station near the intersection of 21st Street and Mitthoeffer Road, less than half a mile from the school.
His phone, placed on the dashboard, captures an officer telling the driver: “We’re gonna get you out here. So when you get out, I’m gonna pull you out, I want you to put your hands on top of the car, OK?”
“Why am I getting out for?” Trevion asks.
“The car smells like weed. Step out of the car,” the officer responds.
As officers on both sides of the car and Trevion’s passengers all speak, Trevion looks back and forth. The driver’s door opens and an officer grabs Trevion’s wrist and pulls him out.
“Yo, what?” Trevion asks.
“I will f—ing kill you. Do you understand me?” the officer says.
Ambar Taylor posted the video on Facebook, accusing Indianapolis police of racial profiling.
“He’s a young Black man. You’ve seen the news 100 times,” she said. “My son will not be a victim.”
IMPD says officer stopped car because of gun
Officers were monitoring the protest — one of many anti-ICE students walkouts held across Indianapolis and the nation — because it received information that students might have guns there, IMPD said in a statement posted late Feb. 6.
They pulled over Trevion’s car after seeing a juvenile get in it with a gun, according to the statement. Specifically, officers stopped the car at 2:28 p.m. Feb. 6 after Trevion failed to signal during a lane change, according to a police report, which said the passengers were two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old.
Under Indiana law, a person under 18 may not carry a loaded firearm outside of certain exceptions including hunting, practicing at a firing range under adult supervision or on a private property with their guardian’s permission. Minors who knowingly possess a loaded firearm for any other purpose can be charged with a misdemeanor.
The officer’s handling of the Feb. 6 situation is under review, according to the IMPD statement.
“While the video does not show the entire incident, some of the language heard does not reflect the standards or values of IMPD,” it says. “Accountability is essential to building trust and legitimacy with our community. The involved officer was equipped with a body-worn camera, which recorded the incident. An internal review is underway to determine the full circumstances of the encounter, including the statements captured on video.”
On Feb. 7, Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, weighed in with a statement that called the video “incomplete” and said the officers’ tactics were reasonable. He noted they made sure the teens’ vehicle was separated from protesters during the traffic stop.
Calling the blunt language a normal reaction to such a situation, he said the organization welcomed a full review that explained how a juvenile came to possess a firearm.
“While it’s jarring to hear without the complete set of facts and context of the interaction (including the threats faced by the officers during the intervention); it becomes more understandable once recognizing the need for immediate compliance along with a direct verbal warning in lieu of use of force,” the statement read.
“Often our officers are placed in impossible situations. One of the ‘standards and values’ of IMPD is preservation of life. That also includes the lives of our officers when faced with armed juveniles in volatile situations.”
One passenger arrested
After Trevion is pulled from the car, he says: “Bro, what the f—? You’re gonna kill me if I …”
“He’s f—ing reaching – reaching for a gun, that’s why,” the officer responds.
The officer tells him not to move his hands.
“Yes, sir. Yes, sir,” Trevion says.
He can be seen through the back driver’s side window being led away in handcuffs. Two other teens exit the back seat with their hands up.
Three of the car’s four occupants return after more than 10 minutes. The one who did not return had a gun and was taken into custody, according to police.
Trevion was not charged or given a ticket. His mother said she is filing a complaint with IMPD over her son’s treatment.
“These are kids, and if you can’t de-escalate a situation with kids without going to those words first, you shouldn’t be a police officer,” Ambar Taylor said.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni contributed to this report.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This Memorial Day, you can honor United States service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. Crown Hill National Cemetery is hosting a service at 11 a.m. on Monday.
In a Facebook post, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs said, “Never forgotten. Always remembered,” encouraging people to attend the ceremony. Crown Hill is the final resting place for nearly 1,000 veterans and eligible dependents.
According to Crown Hill, the keynote speaker will be Michael Hershman, the director of Veteran Health Indiana. Music will be provided by the 38th Infantry Division Band, Indiana National Guard, and the Indiana National Guard Ceremonial Unit will provide military honors.
The service will be in the open area adjacent to the Crown Hill Columbarium Annex.
Parking Information
Guests displaying a valid disability license plate or placard may enter the cemetery’s main gate for on-site parking.
General parking will be available at Butler University Lot 45 (near the intersection of West 42nd Street and Haughey Avenue), with shuttle service provided to and from the grounds of Crown Hill National Cemetery.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man and a woman died Sunday night when their motorcycle collided with a small SUV, police say.
The names and ages of the two who died were not immediately available, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Don Weilhammer said from the crash scene.
IMPD was called to the collision just after 9:20 p.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of North Keystone Avenue. That’s just south of the White River bridge.
Investigators think the SUV was southbound and had a green light as it turned east toward 75th Street. That’s when the northbound motorcycle hit the SUV near its rear passenger door.
A witness at a nearby Walmart told IMPD that the motorcycle had passed the shopping area, which is south of the intersection, at a high rate of speed.
The driver and passenger of the motorcycle died at the crash scene.
A man and a woman were in the SUV. The man in the SUV received minor injuries, and the woman was unhurt. They remained at the scene. The IMPD captain said no one in the SUV was intoxicated. Their names were not immediately shared publicly.
No one witnessed the crash, the captain said. IMPD’s Kevin Winks was seeking anyone with information or video footage to contact the officer at 317-327-6549.
INDIANAPOLIS — The man helping lead one of Indianapolis’ biggest race weekend traditions still had to pay 10 bucks to park.
As downtown filled Saturday morning for the 70th annual Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pascal Siakam pulled up to a parking lot expecting a little Grand Marshal treatment.
Instead, the four-time NBA All-Star found himself in a friendly standoff with a vendor charging $10 for parking.
In a video posted to his social media accounts, the Pacers forward laughed as he rolled into the lot.
“I ain’t trying to pay for real,” Siakam joked from the car. “I ain’t even got 10 bucks.”
When Siakam rolled down his window to face the vendor he asked half-jokingly, “The Grand Marshal don’t get to park for free?”
The woman wasn’t buying it.
“You’re not the Grand Marshal,” she told him. “Caitlin Clark is.”
Siakam, alongside teammate Andrew Nembhard, served as co-Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Clark, of course, was named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s race festivities — not the parade itself.
Even after Siakam explained the mix-up, the vendor still wasn’t convinced. The video shows her eventually looking it up herself before realizing the 6-foot-8 Pacers star was telling the truth the entire time.
Still, no special treatment
After all the back-and-forth, Siakam paid the $10 anyway.
The exchange quickly became a humorously relatable race weekend moment — even basketball royalty isn’t safe from negotiating for parking in downtown Indianapolis.
Saturday’s parade wound through downtown as one of the city’s signature traditions leading into race day, featuring marching bands, floats, giant balloons, celebrities and all 33 IndyCar drivers competing in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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