Remember, when you hurl, do it downrange. 
Officer, drug suspect injured
SWAT team hurls hail of gunfire on man as he attempts to flee; neither injury serious
By Monica Scandlen
Indianapolis Star
September 8, 2000
A suspected drug dealer and an undercover detective were injured Thursday after the suspect tried to flee, hit a squad car with his vehicle and triggered an explosion of gunfire by the Marion County SWAT team in a neighborhood near 38th Street and Shadeland Avenue.
However, neither man sustained life threatening injuries, the suspect was arrested and investigators seized several weapons and a small amount of drugs.
Nearby residents who witnessed the shootout compared the scene to a war zone.
"That man should have been dead, but he was just shot in his arm," said Sue Jones, who lives in the 7600 block of Ruskin Place, where the shooting happened. "He opened the door, slid out on the ground and they handcuffed him."
"It was just like in the movies.''
The events that led up to the shooting began shortly before 2:30 p.m. Undercover narcotics deputies were preparing to serve a search warrant at the home of Dwione T. Radford, 26, of the 3700 block of Payton Avenue.
Deputies also had planned to arrest Radford on preliminary drug charges.
Undercover detectives were parked outside of Radford's home waiting for the SWAT team, which often assists in cases involving serious felonies or when guns might be involved.
Before the SWAT team arrived, Radford pulled out of his garage. The undercover detectives followed him from Payton Avenue to Ruskin Place and radioed the approaching SWAT vehicles, said Sgt. Gary Maxey, of the undercover narcotics unit.
But Radford already had spotted the armored cars of the SWAT unit and tried to get away from them by backing up. As he did that, he hit Maxey's car.
The small army of SWAT officers poured out of their vehicles onto the street and the sidewalk, yelling at Radford to stop.
However, he continued to drive his blue GMC Yukon, at one point driving on a sidewalk and a resident's lawn.
Seven of the SWAT deputies fired their semi-automatic weapons at the Yukon, shattering windows and piercing the car. One of these bullets likely ricocheted from the vehicle and hit David "Doc'' Eliot, a 48-year-old detective with the undercover unit, said Marion County Sheriff's Department Maj. Mike Turk.
Radford then smashed into a white pickup truck parked on the street. The impact stopped the Yukon and Radford surrendered to the officers.
The chaotic events were coincidentally captured on video by photographer for WISH-TV (Channel 8) who happened to be riding along with the SWAT team to film a profile on Marion County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Russ Tuttle.
Tuttle said it is not unusual for him to accompany the SWAT unit. He said he wished events like that never happened, but said the team handled it well.
"I felt we handled ourselves appropriately. The criminals sometimes don't leave us with many choices," Tuttle said.
Eliot was grazed on a leg either by a bullet or flying glass. He was treated at and released from Methodist Hospital later Thursday afternoon.
Radford was in good condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital with injuries to his shoulder and stomach. The preliminarily charges he faces include four Class A felony counts of dealing cocaine and six less-serious C felony counts of possession of cocaine.
After the shooting ended, investigators found three high-powered rifles, ammunition and a small amount of suspected crack cocaine in Radford's home. They also found what they believe to be crack in his sport utility vehicle.
Neighbors and detectives described a wild few minutes.
"I heard all this popping, like firecrackers,'' said Blake Walker, who owns the white pickup truck Radford hit as he tried to flee.
Walker ran to his living room window, saw Radford hit his truck and push it about 15 feet. At that point, Walker ducked.
When the shooting stopped, Walker peeked outside again. An ambulance arrived to treat Radford within about one minute, Walker estimated. After checking his house for bullet holes, he sat perched on another car in his driveway watching detectives.
Jones, who lives across the street from Walker, said she also first thought what she heard was firecrackers.
That noise brought her to the window. Outside, she said, it looked like a war zone, with the armored cars and suited-up SWAT team members. Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over, she said.
Radford was loaded into an ambulance, the SWAT team left and crime scene tape went up around some trees.
"It was very well handled," Jones said. "They moved in, did what they had to do, and left."
That's the way the team likes to work: swiftly, said Deputy Chief Bart McAtee, the team's commander.
Given the circumstances, McAtee said he believed his officers acted correctly Thursday.
"I don't know if (Radford) intended to kill police officers, but his intentions were to get away, and if he had to run over police officers, he was going to do it," McAtee said.
Hours after the shooting, a handgun, a cellular phone and some suspected cocaine lay on the street near Radford's Yukon.
The cell phone rang and rang as crime scene investigators inspected shell casings.
No one answered it.
Copyright 2000 Indiana Newspapers Inc.
Officer, drug suspect injured
SWAT team hurls hail of gunfire on man as he attempts to flee; neither injury serious
By Monica Scandlen
Indianapolis Star
September 8, 2000
A suspected drug dealer and an undercover detective were injured Thursday after the suspect tried to flee, hit a squad car with his vehicle and triggered an explosion of gunfire by the Marion County SWAT team in a neighborhood near 38th Street and Shadeland Avenue.
However, neither man sustained life threatening injuries, the suspect was arrested and investigators seized several weapons and a small amount of drugs.
Nearby residents who witnessed the shootout compared the scene to a war zone.
"That man should have been dead, but he was just shot in his arm," said Sue Jones, who lives in the 7600 block of Ruskin Place, where the shooting happened. "He opened the door, slid out on the ground and they handcuffed him."
"It was just like in the movies.''
The events that led up to the shooting began shortly before 2:30 p.m. Undercover narcotics deputies were preparing to serve a search warrant at the home of Dwione T. Radford, 26, of the 3700 block of Payton Avenue.
Deputies also had planned to arrest Radford on preliminary drug charges.
Undercover detectives were parked outside of Radford's home waiting for the SWAT team, which often assists in cases involving serious felonies or when guns might be involved.
Before the SWAT team arrived, Radford pulled out of his garage. The undercover detectives followed him from Payton Avenue to Ruskin Place and radioed the approaching SWAT vehicles, said Sgt. Gary Maxey, of the undercover narcotics unit.
But Radford already had spotted the armored cars of the SWAT unit and tried to get away from them by backing up. As he did that, he hit Maxey's car.
The small army of SWAT officers poured out of their vehicles onto the street and the sidewalk, yelling at Radford to stop.
However, he continued to drive his blue GMC Yukon, at one point driving on a sidewalk and a resident's lawn.
Seven of the SWAT deputies fired their semi-automatic weapons at the Yukon, shattering windows and piercing the car. One of these bullets likely ricocheted from the vehicle and hit David "Doc'' Eliot, a 48-year-old detective with the undercover unit, said Marion County Sheriff's Department Maj. Mike Turk.
Radford then smashed into a white pickup truck parked on the street. The impact stopped the Yukon and Radford surrendered to the officers.
The chaotic events were coincidentally captured on video by photographer for WISH-TV (Channel 8) who happened to be riding along with the SWAT team to film a profile on Marion County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Russ Tuttle.
Tuttle said it is not unusual for him to accompany the SWAT unit. He said he wished events like that never happened, but said the team handled it well.
"I felt we handled ourselves appropriately. The criminals sometimes don't leave us with many choices," Tuttle said.
Eliot was grazed on a leg either by a bullet or flying glass. He was treated at and released from Methodist Hospital later Thursday afternoon.
Radford was in good condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital with injuries to his shoulder and stomach. The preliminarily charges he faces include four Class A felony counts of dealing cocaine and six less-serious C felony counts of possession of cocaine.
After the shooting ended, investigators found three high-powered rifles, ammunition and a small amount of suspected crack cocaine in Radford's home. They also found what they believe to be crack in his sport utility vehicle.
Neighbors and detectives described a wild few minutes.
"I heard all this popping, like firecrackers,'' said Blake Walker, who owns the white pickup truck Radford hit as he tried to flee.
Walker ran to his living room window, saw Radford hit his truck and push it about 15 feet. At that point, Walker ducked.
When the shooting stopped, Walker peeked outside again. An ambulance arrived to treat Radford within about one minute, Walker estimated. After checking his house for bullet holes, he sat perched on another car in his driveway watching detectives.
Jones, who lives across the street from Walker, said she also first thought what she heard was firecrackers.
That noise brought her to the window. Outside, she said, it looked like a war zone, with the armored cars and suited-up SWAT team members. Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over, she said.
Radford was loaded into an ambulance, the SWAT team left and crime scene tape went up around some trees.
"It was very well handled," Jones said. "They moved in, did what they had to do, and left."
That's the way the team likes to work: swiftly, said Deputy Chief Bart McAtee, the team's commander.
Given the circumstances, McAtee said he believed his officers acted correctly Thursday.
"I don't know if (Radford) intended to kill police officers, but his intentions were to get away, and if he had to run over police officers, he was going to do it," McAtee said.
Hours after the shooting, a handgun, a cellular phone and some suspected cocaine lay on the street near Radford's Yukon.
The cell phone rang and rang as crime scene investigators inspected shell casings.
No one answered it.
Copyright 2000 Indiana Newspapers Inc.