UPDATE: Man accused of ramming police cars 4 times again arrested hours after making bond

Jake Allen, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·3 min read
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Update: George Leachman was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Correction on Jan. 26, 2024, after reaching agreements with prosecutors in two separate cases connected to rammings of police vehicles in November and February 2023.

UPDATE: The Marion County Sheriff's Office on Monday evening arrested George Leachman on the city's east side. Leachman was arrested on a warrant at a residence in the 1600 block of Lawton Avenue, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Original article:

The Indianapolis law enforcement community is expressing frustration after a 43-year-old man accused of ramming into police vehicles for a fourth time was released from jail on bond after his arrest this weekend.

George Leachman was arrested Friday after officers say he rammed an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department squad car on the city's east side while driving a stolen pickup.

At the time of his arrest Friday, Leachman was out of jail on bond after he was arrested in February and accused of ramming multiple Indianapolis police vehicles. Leachman was shot by officers before his arrest in February and was driving a stolen pickup at the time, according to police.

No officers were hurt in Friday's incident, but three officers were hurt during the February ramming.

Just before 7 p.m. Friday, an officer attempted to stop Leachman near East Naomi Street and Lawton Avenue as he was driving a red Ford F-350 with an expired license plate. After stopping briefly, Leachman rammed the officer’s car multiple times then drove off, police said. The officer pursued Leachman, who then backed up and struck the police vehicle again, according to IMPD.

George Leachman was arrested in connection with ramming an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle on Nov. 3, 2023. He has allegedly rammed IMPD vehicles four total times since 2018, according to the police department.
George Leachman was arrested in connection with ramming an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle on Nov. 3, 2023. He has allegedly rammed IMPD vehicles four total times since 2018, according to the police department.

More on the February arrest: Man shot by police on east side after pursuit in stable condition, IMPD says

Officers arrested Leachman after the pickup stopped near Cottage Avenue and Ashbury Street on the east side of the city. He is facing preliminary charges of battery against a public safety official, resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident and criminal recklessness.

Leachman was booked into the Adult Detention Center on Saturday then released around 1 a.m. Sunday, jail records show.

“It is with great frustration and concern that I address the weekend release of Mr. Leachman on bond," said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor in a news release.  "Leachman has proven time and time again that he has no regard for the law, and should not have the ability to put our officers or the general public in any more danger. The fact that this individual has allegedly rammed multiple police cars, placing officers at risk of serious bodily harm or death, on separate incidents is absolutely unacceptable.”

Leachman was released after posting a $4,500 surety bond. The Marion Superior Court told WTHR the bond amount was a 'clerical error' and should have been $45,000.

In this year alone, Leachman is alleged to have caused more than $67,000 in damage to police vehicles, not including damage to private property or medical expenses, according to police.

In 2017 Leachman was arrested after striking three police cars during a vehicle pursuit and injuring two officers, according to police. The following year, he was arrested for driving over a police car with an officer inside, according to a news release from IMPD.

Leachman was previously sentenced to community corrections after pleading guilty in the 2017 and 2018 cases.

“Thankfully, no one was injured in this latest incident, but his release raises serious concerns for the safety of our officers and the community,” Taylor said in the news release.

The man's release from jail also caught the attention of Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police president Rick Snyder, who posted his concerns on X, formerly Twitter.

“You see, here’s the problem Indy," Snyder said in a video he posted on the social media platform. "Our legal profession and the folks within it just can’t seem to wrap their minds around this that we can’t keep having a revolving door of criminal justice that threatens the safety of all of us.”

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Crime: Man with history of ramming police cars arrested