JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — An Indianapolis man faces felony charges after police say he used a 5-year-old as a human shield during a car chase and standoff, eventually injuring a deputy while resisting arrest.
Austin Smith, 37, was arrested last week in Johnson County after a broken headlight led to a brief police chase and standoff with local sheriff’s deputies. He now faces felony charges, including neglect of a dependent and causing injury while resisting law enforcement.
A Johnson County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling County Line Road around 11:30 p.m. last Friday when he reportedly saw a truck without a working headlight. The deputy reportedly caught up to the truck, being driven by Smith, and followed him north on State Road 135.
After turning on his red and blue police lights, the deputy said Smith refused to pull over and kept driving. The deputy said he then activated his siren and that Smith eventually slowed down and stopped his truck near the intersection of Hill Valley Drive and Union Street…