PEKIN, Ind. (WISH) — A Pekin man is facing charges of attempted murder after being accused of domestic battery and firing shots at a woman. State police say 33-year-old Aaron Thornberry also fled from police, even after stop sticks were successfully used by police.
According to a release from state police, the the incident began around 10:46 p.m. on Sunday when the Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of domestic battery and a shooting in the driveway of a residence on East Blankenbaker Road near Pekin.
Police determined that a fight occurred between Thorberry and a woman at the residence, who “sustained visible injuries.” After the fight, a second woman arrived at the residence. Police are accusing Thornberry of firing multiple rounds at her as she was pulling into the driveway, striking her.
Thornberry then fled the scene in a black Ford Explorer before officers arrived. Both women were taken to the hospital.
As officers were investigating the scene, they got word that Thornberry’s vehicle was spotted by another officer on State Road 56 in Scott County. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but Thornberry fled, leading police through Scott, Jefferson, and Clark counties.
Even when police successfully deployed stop sticks, the suspect continued to flee. Police say the chase finally ended after a trooper performed a PIT maneuver, striking the rear of Thornberry’s vehicle on State Road 62 near Marble Hill Road in Clark County, causing the Explorer to spin into a ditch on the side of the road.
Thornberry was taken into custody and faces the following preliminary charges:
- Two counts of attempted murder, a top-level felony.
- Criminal confinement, a mid-level felony.
- Possession of a machinegun, a low-level felony.
- Operation of a machine gun, a mid-level felony.
- Two counts of intimidation, a low-level felony.
- Three counts of domestic battery, a low-level felony.
Police say he is currently being held at the Washington County Jail.
