9/24/2022
Indiana suspect captured after hourslong search in city sewers. An Indiana man sought on suspicion of throwing a hatchet at people in a park was found Tuesday after an hourslong search through Bloomington’s storm sewer system — where investigators recovered a hand scythe, a machete and rifle cartridges.
Eli Swartzentruber, described as a 37-year-old transient, was taken into custody Tuesday evening after he fled from officers to the depths of the underground system, Bloomington police said in a news release.
Groups of officers descended upon the city’s streets, flash bang grenades were deployed, special cameras were used to search the sewers, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for parts of Indiana University Bloomington.
Police first posted on social media that they were searching for a barricaded man in the sewer system at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
It wasn’t until six hours later that police announced that the man had been safely removed from the storm drain — after he was apprehended by a canine officer — and in custody, at around 5:30 p.m.
Hatchet thrown at people; escape into sewers
On their way to the park, officers got a report that the man had gone to a vehicle in a nearby Kroger parking lot, retrieved a hatchet and walked back to the same people in the park and thrown the hatchet at them, police said.
© CopyRights RawNews1st
- Make sure you us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RawNews1st/Â
