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Columbus man falsely reports active shooter, assaults officer

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – A Columbus man was arrested after a false report of an active shooter at a gas station, and for physically assaulting a police officer.

According to a release, Columbus police officers were sent to a gas station in the 1600 block of Central Avenue in Columbus, after reports of an active shooter with multiple people shot. When officers arrived they said they didn’t see anything.

When officers entered the store, they saw 26-year-old Joshua Stam holding a phone. When officers approached him and asked about the active shooter, police said Stam took his hands from his coat pockets and a large knife fell out of his pocket and onto the ground.

Police said when officers tried to arrest Stam, he said they were not police officers and pulled off a radio and body camera from one of the officers. Officers eventually pulled Stam to the ground. Police said Stam struck one of the officers on the left side of his head and tried to bite officers. He was tased by the same officer he hit on the left side of his head.

Stam was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked by medics, and then he was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail.

He faces the following preliminary charges:

  • Public intoxcication
  • Possession of a legend drug injection device
  • False reporting
  • Resisting law enforcement
  • Battery on a law enforcement officer

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