MCCORDSVILLE — An Indianapolis man who was photographing women inside the Meijer store in McCordsville was arrested, but not before he shoved an officer out of the way and led them on a foot chase.
Lavour Tyron Lewis, 36, 9000 block of Waldemar Road, Indianapolis, was eventually caught and arrested. He was charged with a Level 6 felony count of battery against a public safety official and two Class A misdemeanor charges of resisting law enforcement.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officials from the McCordsville Police Department were called on Sunday, March 1, to go to the Meijer store, 6939 W. Broadway, to question a man later identified as Lewis for suspiciously taking photographs of women from behind.
When an officer and a store official approached Lewis to question him about his behavior, Lewis pushed past them, shoving an officer out of his way, the affidavit said. Another McCordsville officer was waiting outside and saw the suspect sprinting from the grocery store and gave chase.
The suspect ran to the nearby Meijer gas station, running a lap around it, and he refused to stop despite officers’ demands, the affidavit said. The man then entered the gas station and locked himself inside a restroom.
“The situation was tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving,” an officer said in the affidavit.
Officers ordered the man to exit the locked bathroom, but he refused, and officers heard the toilet flush, the affidavit said. That led officers to believe the suspect was discarding contraband.
The suspect finally came out of the restroom after several minutes with his hands up, the affidavit said. Upon searching the restroom, officers did not find any contraband, the affidavit said.
Lewis has been banned from the store, the affidavit said.
