On December 11, 2025, at 0602 hours, a FWPD Officer attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of Lawford Place and Griswold Drive which led to a pursuit.
Note: The location of Lawford Place and Griswold Drive was the origination point of the pursuit. The fatal accident occurred in the area at the intersection of Fourth Street and Spy Run Avenue. The suspect was taken into custody in the 1400 block of Spy Run Avenue.
Fort Wayne Police Department incident report:
Date: December 11, 2025
Locations:
- Lawton Place and Griswold Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
- the intersection of Fourth Street and Spy Run Avenue, Fort Wayne, Indiana
- 1400 block of Spy Run Avenue, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Time: 0602 hours
Details/Summary:
At 6:02am, an officer with the Fort Wayne Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle near the intersection of Lawton Pl. and Griswold Dr. The vehicle failed to stop and instead began fleeing from officers. The fleeing vehicle circled the general area until approximately 6:08am when the vehicle, which was now traveling eastbound on E. Fourth St., went to make a northbound turn onto Spy Run Ave and struck a pedestrian in the roadway at that intersection. The fleeing vehicle still refused to stop and side swiped another vehicle just north of that intersection. The vehicle continued fleeing and circling the area until it came to a stop in the 1400 block of Spy Run Ave, at which time the adult male driver (and sole occupant) parked the vehicle and began running on foot, during which he was observed throwing a handgun into the grass.
Thanks to several witnesses calling 911, the fleeing driver was eventually located hiding in the backyard of a home in the 1400 block of Spy Run Ave. The handgun that the driver was observed throwing was recovered.
The adult male pedestrian that was struck was pronounced deceased on the scene. The adult female driver of the vehicle that was side swiped was not injured. The fleeing suspect was not injured.
Spy Run Ave between E. Superior St. and E. Fourth St. remains closed during the investigation and will remain closed for some time.
The identity of the decedent, as well as the exact cause and manner of death, will be released by the Allen County Coroner’s Office. The identity of the suspect/fleeing driver, as well as any charges, will be released pending the completion of interviews that are currently underway at the police station.
There is nothing further at this time.Chris Felton
Public Information Officer
Fort Wayne Police Department
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
All information is preliminary and subject to change during the course of the investigation.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 427-1201, Crime Stoppers at 436-7867, or use the free “P3 Tips” app.
Download the news release from the FWPD.
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