LAWRENCE CO. — An Oolitic man was arrested after allegedly assaulting a transport driver, threatening his life, and attempting to stop him from calling 911 following an altercation inside the moving vehicle.
Christian Downen, 25, of Oolitic, was taken into custody after a search by multiple law enforcement agencies. He faces charges of intimidation, interfering with reporting a crime, and battery resulting in bodily injury.
The incident began around 9:46 a.m. on Thursday, November 6, when the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Central Dispatch received a frantic 911 call from a male stating, “someone is trying to kill me.”
Deputy Travis Atchison responded to the scene on State Road 37 North, just north of the State Road 54 junction, and found the victim, identified, stopped on the side of the road, actively bleeding from his face. EMS was called to treat his injuries.
According to Deputy Atchison’s probable cause affidavit, the victim was driving for Julie Care LLC, a medical transport company, and was taking Downen from his Oolitic residence to a treatment center in Bloomington.
The victim told police he was discussing Downen running late, which would cause issues with future transports. Downen allegedly told him to “shut up or he was going to punch him,” and then proceeded to punch the driver in the face while the vehicle was moving.
After the driver managed to stop the vehicle and attempted to call emergency services, Downen allegedly told him he would kill him if he called the police and actively tried to wrestle the phone out of his hand, constituting the charge of interfering with reporting a crime.
Downen then fled the scene on foot toward Oolitic. Multiple Lawrence County officers and Indiana State Police canvassed the area. Downen was reportedly seen asking a resident for a ride near the Pinewood Edition before getting into another vehicle at his Oolitic residence and driving north.
Indiana State Trooper Jeremy Cox ultimately located the vehicle, and Downen was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver was treated for his injuries at IU Health Bedford and signed a battery affidavit against Downen.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
