Driver killed after pulling rifle on police during standoff

A Nineveh man is dead, shot by police in Bartholomew County after a multi-county chase and exchanging shots with officers.

Indiana State Police say that 30-year-old Martin L. Douglas Jr. was shot and killed at about 5:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon after a more than five hour standoff with police in a cornfield near County Road 300W and Deaver Road.

The incident started at about 11:40 a.m. Wednesday morning with Brown County authorities warning neighboring departments to be on the lookout for Douglas who was believed to be driving his pickup eastbound into Bartholomew County with the intent to harm acquaintances. He was believed to be armed and despondent, according to police reports.

A Columbus police officer came across the vehicle near County Roads 450S and 300W and Douglas refused to stop for police. He continued to flee on rural roads before crossing over into Jackson County. Other agencies joined in the chase, including Indiana State Police and the Bartholomew and Jackson county sheriff’s departments.

When the chase continued back into Bartholomew County, police deflated his tires near County Road 300W and State Road 58. Douglas stopped in the road. That’s when he fired about 15 shots at police with an AR-15 style rifle, hitting at least three vehicles including two from Columbus Police and one from the state police. Authorities returned fire, but he took off again before stopping in the final cornfield, according to troopers.

The vehicle was surrounded by authorities and they called in the Columbus and Indiana State Police SWAT teams.

Eventually, Douglas got out of the vehicle and pulled a second rifle from the bed of the truck. That’s when state police SWAT officers fired and he was killed.

No officers were injured, according to police reports.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police.