Crash report details deadly Plainfield police chase

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — A crash report obtained by FOX59 and CBS4 on Monday has shed new light on a deadly police chase that unfolded in Plainfield in August.

Previous reporting indicates a chase involving 38-year-old Bryan Goodmon and a Plainfield Police Department officer led to a deadly crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Smith Road.

The crash report — which was prepared by the Avon Police Department — indicates the PPD officer involved in the chase with Goodmon struck a 2009 Ford Fusion occupied by 78-year-old Barbara Williams and 79-year-old Bennie Williams.

PPD had previously reported the chase began after the officer encountered Goodmon at the Long John Silvers on Clarks Creek Road. At the restaurant, the officer spoke with Goodmon, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car

Goodmon fled the scene during his interaction with the officer. Police reported that Goodmon nearly struck the officer as he drove away from Long John Silvers. The officer chased Goodmon because he believed he may have been intoxicated.

The report shows that, before the crash happened, Bennie and Barbara Williams were attempting to turn left from Smith Road to U.S. Highway 40. As the PPD officer involved in the pursuit approached the intersection, a protected green arrow activated for drivers like Bennie and Barbara Williams, who were trying to turn onto U.S. Highway 40 from Smith Road.

Per the report, Bennie and Barbara Williams had an unobstructed view of the intersection when the green arrow signal activated. The couple then drove into the intersection, where they were ultimately struck and killed by the PPD officer.

Photos from the scene of the crash.

The PPD officer also had an unobstructed view of the intersection. The Event Data Recorder (EDR) the officer’s vehicle was equipped with indicated the officer was driving 100 mph 2.5 seconds prior to the crash.

Two seconds before the crash, the officer applied his car’s brakes. APD investigators believe the officer’s speed was between 56.78 and 58.64 mph at the time of the crash.

Bodycam footage APD obtained during its investigation also showed that the officer tried to swerve and avoid crashing.

The crash report confirms that the officer did have emergency lights and a siren activated during the chase. In some of the interviews APD conducted, witnesses reported that they did not hear the officer’s siren, or that they barely heard it.

Per the report, witnesses and Barbara and Bennie Williams may not have heard the officer’s siren because emergency vehicles outrun their sirens at approximately 55 mph.

In its summary of findings, APD reported that the officer was engaged in a lawful pursuit of a criminal suspect. Police, however, are required to drive through intersections “with due regard,” even if their lights and sirens are activated.

According to the report, the emitter the officer attempted to deploy to change the traffic signals at the intersection of Smith Road and U.S. Highway 40 did not work properly during the chase. Ultimately, APD investigators concluded the officer did not proceed through the intersection of Smith Road and U.S. Highway 40 with “due regard.”

APD reported that the suspect vehicle was “way ahead” of the PPD officer just before the crash. Per the report, the vehicle was barely visible on the officer’s dashcam video.

Previous reporting indicates police found the vehicle Goodmon was allegedly driving after the chase. The car was unoccupied when police found it.

“We appreciate the impartial and thorough crash investigation conducted by the Avon Police Department regarding the fatal accident that occurred on August 30,” Plainfield Police Chief Kyle Prewitt wrote in a prepared statement. “As their investigation into the crash is now complete, the Plainfield Police Department has initiated an internal review to determine whether the officer involved was following the agency’s policies at the time of the incident.

“The loss of Bennie and Barbara Williams was tragic, and we hope that the community will continue to embrace their family through these difficult times.”

The crash report identified the PPD officer involved in the crash as Logan Westerfield. At the time of the crash, PPD reported that Westerfield — a five-year veteran — had been placed on administrative leave.

Westerfield was hurt in the crash, though the injuries he sustained were non-life-threatening.

In a Faceb o ok post , APD indicated Goodmon was apprehended by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s crime task force and violence reduction team on Sept. 16.

He was subsequently booked into the Hendricks County Jail. Goodmon has been charged with two counts of resisting law enforcement causing death or catastrophic injury and one count of resisting law enforcement causing bodily injury.

Before he was arrested, Goodmon had active warrants in Marion County for unlawful possession of a syringe, driving while suspended with a prior conviction in the last 10 years, knowingly or intentionally operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license and possession of paraphernalia.

A jury trial has been set for Nov. 26 in Goodmon’s case. As of this article’s publication, no additional information on the crash had been made available.

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