IMPD Officers arrest Serious Violent Felon

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) East District officers apprehend armed suspect, who was also a serious violent felon.

Just before 12 p.m. on 04/14/2019, officers with the IMPD East District were dispatched to the intersection of 10^th and Rural St on reports of a person in a red sweatshirt and blue jeans, standing near the intersection and pointing a firearm at passing vehicles. Responding officers arrived and observed a male matching the suspect description standing near a bus stop at the dispatched location. The suspect, later identified as Keyth Griffin (25), had his hand in his pocket and officers ordered him to show his hands. Griffin began to turn away from the officers to run and allegedly pulled a silver handgun from his pocket. Griffin ran across the street and officers pursued while giving verbal commands for him to drop the gun. Griffin allegedly threw the gun into a vacant lot and then officers were able to make apprehension without further incident.

A Gun Liaison Officer responded and collected the firearm for transport to the IMPD Property Room as evidence. Officers conducted a records check and discovered that Griffin was a serious violent felon. Griffin was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, possession of a firearm without a permit, and resisting law enforcement by fleeing. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will review the case and make a charging decision. Griffin was later transported to the Main Jail.

“Gun liaison” officers are specially-trained to more effectively collect crime gun evidence for forensic analysis. The officers are key to the success of Indianapolis’ Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC). Introduced to the community earlier this week, CGIC is an interagency collaboration that puts officers in direct contact with local and federal law enforcement partners. The CGIC model focuses on the collection and real-time analysis of crime gun evidence from homicides and non-fatal shootings using forensic technologies to generate investigative leads, allowing IMPD to more effectively target the most violent offenders and their sources of crime guns. This crackdown on the illegal possession of firearms by Serious Violent Felons is part of the City’s community-focused violence reduction strategy.

Anyone with information about criminal activity is urged to call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS).  Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to www.CrimeTips.org to submit a web tip. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1000 if the information leads to a felony arrest.  Only tips submitted directly and anonymously to Crime Stoppers are eligible for these cash rewards.

A charge of a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.