Make wishtv.com your home page

Witness describes scene when violent chase ends with victim’s car in retention pond

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — It was a close call for a woman and her five-year-old daughter when police said an attempted armed robbery ended with a chase, shooting, and the victim’s car in the retention pond.

Police said it all began when the suspect approached the woman and her daughter. It happened in the parking lot of Kroger on Carey Road in Westfield.

Westfield Police arrested 29-year-old Adrian Roy Rockett Jr. He’s now facing charges of attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, criminal recklessness, intimidation, pointing a firearm, carrying a handgun without a license, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent offender.

A woman told police she was getting her daughter out of the car to go into the store when a man with a gun tried stealing her purse.

According to court documents, the suspect told the victim, “Don’t make a big deal out of this; I don’t want to have to shoot your daughter.”

The victim told police she pleaded with the suspect saying she’s a single mother. The suspect got into the passenger seat of a car and left without the purse. He told the victim “I’m gonna get you,” according to documents.

Police said the victim followed the suspect’s car hoping to get the license plate number. Documents show she pulled up behind the car, and the suspect began shooting at her car. They ended up in the Sandpiper Lakes subdivision.

“You could see it come around the corner because that’s where you heard the first loud like, ‘pop, pop,’ and that’s what got everybody’s attention,” said one witness, who asked not to be identified.

The witness said he saw the whole thing from his porch.

“I opened the door and I looked out. I saw a car going backwards about 40 miles-an-hour and a car chasing it,” he described. “When it got right about in front of the house I saw a gentleman on the passenger side out shooting at the car going backwards.”

The witness said the car went into the retention pond.

“When they got past our house, the car that was going backwards yanked the car around to try to straighten it up and it ended up going into the retention pond,” he said.

24-Hour News 8 returned to the scene and found tire marks on the grass. Some people in the neighborhood shared pictures from that night.

The witness said he’s just glad the woman and her daughter made it out alive.

“Whatever she did, she got away and she’s safe but I don’t know what she was thinking at that time. I couldn’t imagine being fired upon and going backwards and worried about my life,” he said.

Police said one of the bullets during the shooting went through the back window of the victim’s car. It was approximately six inches away from where the victim’s daughter was strapped in the car seat.

As for the suspect, no future court dates have been scheduled.

Never miss another Facebook post from WISH-TV

Crime Map
Use Search Bars Above To Search Crime Data