Text of press release from the Bloomington Police Department follows:
Bloomington Police Arrest Hit and Run Suspect
The Bloomington Police Department arrested a woman late Wednesday evening in reference to the incident in which two pedestrians were thrown from a vehicle on Monday evening after demonstrations in downtown Bloomington.
Christi J. Bennett, 66, was remanded to custody of the jail for the following offenses:
- Criminal Recklessness, level 6 felony (two counts)
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, level 6 felony
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Bodily Injury, class A misdemeanor.
On Monday, July 6th at approximately 9:26 p.m., officers from the Bloomington Police Department responded to the intersection of N Walnut Street and E 6th Street in reference to a personal injury crash. Upon arrival, it was determined that the vehicle involved in the incident had fled the scene, last seen headed eastbound on 6th Street.
Investigators determined that the incident began near the intersection of N Walnut Street and E 4th Street. It was reported that an electric scooter had been left in the roadway in the eastern-most lane of travel. A red Toyota passenger car had approached the scooter and a male passenger of the car had gotten out and thrown the scooter out of the lane of travel. A 29 year-old woman then approached the vehicle and stood in front of it with her hands on the hood of the car. The vehicle then began to accelerate, causing the woman to go up onto the hood of the car. Another individual then grabbed the car and clung to the side of it as it accelerated rapidly northbound on Walnut Street. The two individuals remained on the vehicle until the vehicle reached the intersection of Walnut Street and 6th Street, where the vehicle quickly turned eastbound on 6th Street. This turn caused both the man and the woman to fall off the vehicle.
The 35 year-old man that had clung to the side of the vehicle suffered abrasions to his arms as a result of falling from the vehicle. The 29 year-old woman that had been on the hood was said to have been knocked unconscious and suffered a laceration to her head. She was transported to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of her injuries. Several individuals present at the time the altercation began provided investigators with cellphone footage of the incident.
On Wednesday, July 9th, investigators were able to determine that the registered owner of the red passenger car involved in the incident was staying at a motel in Scottsburg, Indiana. Investigators traveled to Scottsburg and located the vehicle in the parking lot of the motel. Shortly thereafter, the registered owner and a man, later determined to be the passenger in the car at the time of the incident, were observed exiting a motel room and were detained by investigators.
The man was interviewed and released. The woman, identified as Christi Bennett of Scottsburg, Indiana, was transported to the Bloomington Police Department to be interviewed by detectives. However, once at the police department, the woman and her legal counsel declined to provide a statement. Bennett was therefore transported to the Monroe County Jail and remanded for the above listed charges. The vehicle involved in the incident was impounded to be processed in an effort to collect evidence related to the incident.
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Under Indiana law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Attached is a booking photo for Christi Bennett.
