COLUMBUS, Ind. — Police used a Taser twice on a Columbus man to subdue him after he allegedly stole a pickup truck, drove it under the influence of pain medication and fought with an officer.
Kevin L. Smith, 36, was arrested Monday night near 25th Street and Marr Road after an officer saw a pickup truck drive over the grass and a sidewalk from an apartment complex in the area.
Columbus Police Department Patrolman Toby Combest followed the pickup truck into a driveway, and Smith got out of the vehicle and ran, said Lt. Matt Myers, spokesman for the police department.
Combest chased down Smith and used his Taser to subdue him after a scuffle during which Smith allegedly refused to follow orders.
Smith continued to fight after being hit by the Taser until Combest used the stun gun again on him and placed Smith in handcuffs. Combest found a large pocketknife in Smith’s pants pocket during a search, Myers said.
Smith allegedly told police he ran because he legally was not allowed to drive and that he had taken pain medication before the incident.
Police determined Smith did not own the pickup truck he was driving, and the owner told Patrolwoman Sarah Goins that Smith did not have permission to drive it.
Smith was evaluated at Columbus Regional Hospital and then booked into Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of motor vehicle theft, resisting law enforcement, driving a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance, driving while suspended and a Johnson County warrant.
