Two days after getting out of jail, police in Indianapolis say a man killed another man by driving over him on purpose outside of a bar. The man was arrested for murder.
Thursday, officers from the Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) of the Indianapolis Police Department said they had arrested Felipe Maguellal, who is 33 years old.
Police said that VCU officers found and arrested Maguellal, who is thought to have been involved in killing Perry Banks on October 19.
At around midnight on October 19, several witnesses told FOX 59 that Banks helped stop a fight between strangers at the Checkered Flag Tavern on West Morris Street.
FOX 59 was told by police According to reports, Maguellal got in his SUV and drove on purpose toward a group of people, killing Banks who was trying to calm things down.
The IMPD won’t stop, and we will find you, Officer Tommy Thompson told FOX 59. “I hope any criminal out there or anyone thinking of committing a criminal act thinks twice,” Thompson said.
Even though Maguellal was arrested, some police chiefs say the case against him shows a problem with the way the criminal justice system works.
Police say video footage from a week before the murder shows the same suspect, who they think is Maguellal, threatening and then shooting the driver of a car after a fight at a club on the south side of Indianapolis.
According to FOX 59, the victim told cops that he was also trying to keep the peace by stopping a fight between two strangers outside the club.
The hurt person then said He ran through the parking lot while Maguellal chased him with a gun. He then shot him in the arm. Police say the man drove himself to the hospital and was able to survive his injuries.
Maguellal was quickly arrested by police for battery and criminal recklessness in connection with the shooting. Court records received by FOX 59 show that a judge in Marion County initially set a bond of $100,000 for the suspect.
Court records showed that Mageullal had a pending criminal case in Johnson County in September for drug charges, illegal entry, and intimidating people. This is what led to the high bond number.
But Maguellal’s bond was quickly reduced to $15,000 for no clear reason, and he was let out of jail just two days before Bank was killed.
“This is a system with a revolving door that lets everyone who comes in with violence charges get out of jail free,” Indy Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder told FOX 59. “This is what happens when that happens: people die.”
According to the statement related to the murder case, Maguellal denied having any part in the killing.
Maguellal is being held without bond until he is officially charged with murder.
