2 men indicted after shots fired at Riverside police in chase that ended in Indiana

Jen Balduf, Dayton Daily News, Ohio
·2 min read

Jun. 10—Two men indicted Thursday are accused of firing a gun at police during a pursuit that began in Riverside and ended in a SWAT standoff in rural Indiana.

Michael McGee, 26, of Dayton, and Nicholas Mingus, 29, of Ghent, Kentucky, are scheduled to be arraigned June 23 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for aggravated robbery, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, each with firearm specifications, and grand theft (motor vehicle).

Riverside police were called around 12:05 a.m. March 1 to the 1100 block of Brandt Pike to a report of a stolen Volvo tractor-trailer. Officers found the semi on Needmore Road and tried to stop it, but the driver did not pull over, Riverside police Maj. Matthew Sturgeon said previously.

The semi continued onto Interstate 75 north and at one point an occupant fired at officers during the ensuing pursuit. The chase route also included I-70.

Tire deflation devices were used in an attempt to stop the semi, but it was was still driving on flattened tires when it crossed into Indiana.

The semi crashed around 2:15 a.m. into a ditch in Adams County, about 100 miles away. After the crash, the two men — later identified as Mingus and McGee — barricaded themselves inside the berthing cab and refused to come out. This prompted an Indiana State Police SWAT team to respond.

McGee surrendered around 5 a.m., according to the ISP.

Mingus was found hiding in the cab. He fired gunshots from the semi and hit the windshield of the armored SWAT vehicle before the crew used tear gas to get him to exit, police said.

As Mingus got out of the cab, a fire ignited that destroyed the semi, the ISP said. The reason or source of the fire had not been determined.

McGee and Mingus remain held in Adams County.

McGee is charged in Indiana with felony theft and has a change of plea hearing scheduled for Friday in Adams Circuit Court.

Mingus is charged in Indiana with attempted murder, theft and resisting law enforcement. A jury trial had been scheduled to begin Friday in Adams Circuit Court, but the trial date was changed to a pretrial hearing, court records show.

In addition to the charges in Indiana and Ohio, Sturgeon said the pair face federal charges.