INDIANAPOLIS — A man is dead, and an accused killer is in custody following a tragic carjacking on the near east side of Indianapolis on Monday afternoon.
The car theft was caught on surveillance at an Arco gas station near Rural and Southeastern, where the incident unfolded just before 3 p.m. The victim, 51-year-old Shane Christian Coffman, left his car running while he went inside the gas station. Upon returning, Coffman noticed 33-year-old Chad Martin attempting to steal his vehicle.
In an effort to stop the theft, Coffman tried to pull Martin out of the driver’s seat. At that moment, Martin allegedly accelerated, dragging Coffman across the parking lot while he clung to the driver’s side door. Coffman fell after Martin swerved into a gas pump, and the victim was critically injured.
Coffman was rushed to the hospital but died an hour later from his injuries. His son, Shane Coffman II, expressed shock and sorrow, lamenting the loss of his father, a beloved family figure.
“He’s a great dad and grandpa, and a lot of people are going to miss him,” Coffman said, reflecting on his father’s sudden death.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) issued an alert after discovering Coffman’s vehicle had been stolen. Speedway police later spotted Martin driving the car near 10th and Holt Road, where he was arrested.
Martin, who had been released from jail two hours before the murder on a DWI arrest, is now facing charges of robbery and murder. He has been in and out of Marion County Jail 30 times since 2010, which Coffman’s son believes contributed to the tragedy.
“You can’t keep letting people out like this and expect different results,” Coffman said. “The justice system failed my dad.”
Martin claimed he picked up the stolen car at a different location and denied any involvement in the victim’s death, asking for an attorney after his arrest. He is being held without bond while formal charges are prepared.
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