INDIANAPOLIS — Two men who were arrested early Saturday morning for their involvement in a police shooting and chase in downtown Indianapolis have been released from jail.
Donte Swinton, 29, and Dominique Armstrong, 32, face misdemeanor resisting law enforcement charges after allegedly fleeing the scene of a shots fired incident that resulted in an officer firing his gun.
Following a pursuit through the streets of downtown Indianapolis, IMPD reported that it confiscated a gun after Swinton and Armstrong crashed the vehicle they were driving into two other parked cars in the 800 block of North East Street.
A third person escaped from the scene on foot.
Two residents of an apartment building that backs up to a parking lot in the 100 block of South Meridian Street told FOX59 and CBS4 that they heard several gunshots.
“It sounded like somebody emptied a clip,” one man said at 3:20 a.m. Saturday.
”I came home from my shift at work, and I heard a few shots not too far from my window, followed by one more shot after a brief delay,” said one resident who did not want to be identified. “Heard some people shouting out in my alley. It’s very scary. I mean, I never thought I would hear it that close to me.”
IMPD Officer Tommy Thompson told reporters the following:
”Officers were in the downtown area working, they heard shots fired, officers with intent to locate the subject firing the shots and to ensure that no victims from those gunshots were in the area. Upon arrival, those officers located an individual and engaged that individual and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
No one was injured during the shooting. The officer’s bodycam did not activate during the incident.
It’s unclear if the suspect fired at the officer or whether Swinton or Armstrong fired the gun that was found near the vehicle they wrecked approximately a mile away.
Both men have previous firearms convictions.
Swinton was accused of attempting to shoot a plainclothes IMPD detective in 2020, only to have the Marion County Prosecutor decline to take the case to court, resulting in federal charges that led to a four-year term for possession of a firearm by someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor.
Armstrong was convicted in 2019 on state charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
As is standard procedure, the investigation continues and could result in additional charges.
Typically, IMPD detectives and Marion County forensic specialists would examine a recovered firearm for fingerprints or traces of DNA while comparing shell casings found at a shooting scene with those of the seized gun.
This is the third shooting incident in the last two weeks in downtown Indianapolis, though the South Meridian Street bar district has been notably quieter since two troubled businesses were shut down after a wild shootout in Summer 2021 and the murder of a visiting Dutch soldier in 2022.
One resident who said he told his wife to hide in the bathroom of their first floor unit during Saturday morning’s shooting now has this advice for the next time gunfire is heard outside their apartment:
”Just duck down hidden and try to keep our heads low. “
