Inset, left to right: Maci Marquelle Atkinson (Randolph County Jail) and Brad Fisher (Town of Lynn). Background: Law enforcement at the scene where authorities say Atkinson fatally struck Fisher (WTHR).
An Indiana woman has been charged in the death of a small-town marshal after authorities say she hit him with a stolen van while fleeing police during a high-speed pursuit.
Maci Marquelle Atkinson, 34, is accused of multiple felony offenses, including murder, attempted aggravated battery, and causing death while operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in her system, according to court records tied to the death of Lynn town Marshal Brad Fisher.
The deadly encounter unfolded on July 29, when a Randolph County sheriff’s deputy located a van reported stolen near County Roads 400 West and 50 South. Atkinson, identified by authorities as the driver, pulled over at first but then allegedly sped away, launching a pursuit, the Indianapolis Star reported.
During the chase, investigators said, Atkinson drove at speeds reaching roughly 90 mph and blew through traffic signs as officers tried to stop her, according to local NBC affiliate WTHR reported.
As the pursuit moved along U.S. 36, Fisher positioned himself to deploy tire-deflation devices, telling dispatchers over the radio that he was “going to try and get sticks out,” court documents state.
Prosecutors allege Atkinson drove the van toward Fisher, striking him on his right side before the vehicle slammed into a parked dump truck. Fisher, who had served in law enforcement for 25 years, died as a result of the crash, Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN reported.
Once the van came to a stop, Atkinson allegedly refused repeated commands from officers to get out of the vehicle.
“Make me,” she reportedly responded.
Officers deployed a Taser on Atkinson as she attempted to escape through a window. She also allegedly tried to punch a deputy before attempting to stab him.
“I didn’t mean to, you should have left me alone,” Atkinson said after being handcuffed.
Atkinson was later told that she had struck Fisher with the stolen van.
“I hope he’s OK, I f—ing lost control,” she responded, according to the documents.
During a hospital interview, Atkinson questioned why Fisher had moved away from his vehicle and insisted she had been trying to escape rather than intentionally hit him.
“Why would he f—ing run out the opposite way of his God-d— car, that’s dumber than f—, I wasn’t trying to wreck, I was trying to get away, or I was trying to hurt myself, I guess,” she said, according to WXIN.
Investigators recovered a syringe from the van and toxicology tests on Atkinson came back positive for methamphetamine, fentanyl and methadone.
Atkinson told investigators she had taken the van because she did not have a phone to ask the family member who owned it whether she could use it. She said she panicked after initially stopping for police.
“I was just driving, bro, that’s all I was doing,” Atkinson reportedly said. “I really didn’t have no destination, I was trying to get out of Indiana honestly.”
She said she intended to drive until the van ran out of gas and claimed she was trying to avoid the tire deflation devices because she feared crashing.
“As soon as I hit that grass, and I seen him jump… I jerked the wheel so I could miss him, but the van went sideways,” Atkinson reportedly explained. “I don’t know where he got hit at, or where the van struck him at, I don’t know, I f—ed up so bad.”
Atkinson continued to deny that she meant to hit Fisher.
“If you’re going to charge me with murder, I didn’t,” she said. “If I hit [the sticks], I’m going to wreck, and I’m gonna wreck and hurt me, hurt someone else, an innocent bystander, and they don’t deserve that, nobody deserved anything that happened.”
She later said she had not known who Fisher was and had been trying to reach a cornfield where she could abandon the van.
“I’m not even worried about myself,” Atkinson said. “I’m just mad at myself that I took an innocent life, not intentionally, and I deserve to spend the rest of my life behind bars. That is not what I meant to do.”
Randolph County Prosecutor Jason Welch has asked the court to impose life without parole if Atkinson is convicted of murder, the Star reported.
Atkinson is being held in the Randolph County Jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in court for her initial hearing on Sept. 14, records show.
The post ‘Just driving, bro’: Woman who killed marshal in high-speed chase said she was ‘trying to get away,’ police say first appeared on Law & Crime.
