COLUMBUS — A routine trip to a local drive-thru bank turned into a dramatic rescue after an elderly man successfully escaped an armed kidnapper who had held him hostage inside a vehicle.
Brian Bland, 47, faces multiple felony charges following the harrowing incident, which unfolded late last month in Columbus.
According to court documents, the Columbus Police Department was dispatched to the Old National Bank located at 3805 25th Street at 11:27 a.m. on May 30, following urgent reports that a victim was being held at gunpoint inside a black Jeep.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the incident began earlier that morning at the 72-year-old victim’s residence.
Court records state that Bland approached the elderly man at his home and asked him for a glass of water. Once inside, Bland allegedly pulled out a handgun, leveled a threat to harm the victim’s daughter, and forced the terrified man into a black Jeep.
Bland then ordered the victim to drive to the Old National Bank branch on 25th Street with the intention of forcing him to make a $15,000 cash withdrawal.
Upon arriving at the bank, Bland directed the victim into the drive-thru lane. He instructed the 72-year-old to tell the bank teller over the intercom that he was disabled and needed the large sum of cash brought out to the vehicle.
Realizing it might be his only opportunity to survive, the victim attempted to leap out of the Jeep to escape. Court documents state that Bland immediately grabbed the elderly man, placing him in a tight headlock to pull him back into the vehicle. Despite his age and the suspect’s physical restraint, the victim managed to break free from the hold, sprint away from the vehicle, and rush inside the bank lobby to scream for help.
Bland fled the bank parking lot before police units arrived on the scene. However, investigators quickly tracked the registration of the black Jeep to a residence located in the 200 block of North Ross Street.
Columbus Police officers secured a search warrant for the property, where they successfully located the getaway vehicle, ammunition, and at least one firearm matching the description given by the victim. Bland was taken into custody shortly thereafter.
During post-arrest interrogation, Bland claimed to investigators that the 72-year-old victim actually owed him $2,500 for prostitutes that Bland had previously supplied to him. The victim has vehemently denied Bland’s allegations.
Bland was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail, where he is currently being held on the following formal charges filed by the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office:
- Kidnapping while armed with a deadly weapon (Level 3 Felony)
- Criminal Confinement while armed with a deadly weapon (Level 3 Felony)
- Intimidation where the defendant draws a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony)
- Battery by means of a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony)
- Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
- Possession of marijuana (Class B Misdemeanor)
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent until proven guilty through a fair and due legal process. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
The investigation remains ongoing, and a trial date has not yet been set in Bartholomew Superior Court.
