Robert Garcia

A Saturday night fight between a man and woman was witnessed by an off-duty Warsaw Police officer and ultimately resulted in a pursuit.

At approximately 11:06 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, an off-duty Warsaw Police officer observed a fight between a male and female in a pickup truck on West Market Street in Warsaw. The off-duty officer observed the truck accelerate quickly, leaving behind a female.

The driver of the truck, now identified as Robert T. Garcia, 36, of 2415 W. 250 S., Warsaw, then stopped and started backing toward the female as she ran away. The truck continued backing up over the curb in an apparent attempt to run over the woman. The female was able to flee and hide behind a dumpster.

The truck then sped off eastbound on Market Street. The off-duty officer had called in to the Kosciusko Central Dispatch Center and provided a description of the blue Nissan to responding officers. The truck was then observed by police traveling eastbound on Market Street about 4 blocks away from the scene. Warsaw police initiated a traffic stop.

After stopping the truck, Garcia was ordered to get out but he instead sped away, leading police on a pursuit through downtown Warsaw running many red traffic signals without slowing down.

The pursuit continued south on SR 15. Near CR 200 South Garcia lost control and drove through a fence before he regained control and continued to Ferguson Road. At CR 250 South Garcia again lost control and came to a stop in a ditch. Garcia began walking away from the vehicle toward a house.

Officers commanded Garcia to stop before approaching the house, but he ignored their demands. Garcia was then tasered and taken into custody.

Garcia was determined to be intoxicated and taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital where he was medically cleared before being booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on charges of felony resisting law enforcement, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, criminal recklessness with a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor charges of driving while suspended and fleeing law enforcement.

Felony charges for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, with a prior arrest, are pending the results of a legal blood draw.

The female victim, a 38-year-old Warsaw woman sustained head and hand injuries from the altercation. She was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital for her injuries and was also determined to be intoxicated.

The Warsaw Police Department was assisted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s office.