JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — A man who was shot by police in Johnson County on Dec. 10 has been formally charged.
Efrain Ramirez, 46, faces three counts of resisting law enforcement, four counts of pointing a firearm, and two counts of possession of a firearm by an alien, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.
On Dec. 9, Ramirez was stopped by Bargersville Police because officers suspected he was driving drunk.
Ramirez smelled like alcohol, according to court documents, but denied he had been drinking and gave police a false name.
When asked for a license, Ramirez admitted he did not have one but said he had a Mexican ID card in the console of his car. He looked through several papers for a minute, started up his truck, and drove away, court papers said.
A short chase ensued. The chase ended when Ramirez stopped the truck, got out, and ran. Police lost sight of Ramirez and, despite several hours of searching, did not find him again.
On the morning of Dec. 10, officers from the Bargersville Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and Indiana State Police caught up with Ramirez in a Bargersville neighborhood.
When Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Love ordered Ramirez to stop and show him his hands, Ramirez reached inside his pants, court papers said.
Deputy Love again ordered Ramirez to show him his hands. Instead, Ramirez pulled a silver semi-automatic handgun out of his pants and pointed it towards his own head.
Love ordered Ramirez to drop the gun. That’s when Ramirez pointed the gun directly at Deputy Love, according to court documents. Deputy Love fired three shots at Ramirez, who then ran away.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Thomas Burgett found Ramirez and ordered him to drop the gun, court papers said. Ramirez pointed the gun at Sgt. Burgett, who fired 11 rounds at Ramirez in response.
Despite being shot, Ramirez resisted efforts to place him in handcuffs. He was eventually tased and arrested.
Ramirez was treated at the hospital and is now in the Johnson County Jail.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office says Ramirez, a native of Mexico, is in the country illegally and has been deported to Mexico five times since 2000.
