Two people were injured at a gas station on South Weinbach Avenue in Evansville early on Sunday, September 13, 2026, after police say a driver repeatedly struck their car and used pepper spray on its occupants.
What police were told
According to WFIE 14 News[1], Evansville Police Department officers were dispatched at about 4:50 a.m. to the On The Fly gas station on South Weinbach Avenue. Officers found two people sitting beside a Nissan Altima in pain after being pepper-sprayed.
WFIE reported that the Altima's driver told officers that Nautica Andre Hawkins, 23, of Evansville had followed their vehicle, struck it, gotten out and sprayed the occupants, then crashed into the car several more times before driving away. Four people were in the Altima, and two were injured. No source reported that anyone was taken to a hospital or stated how severe the injuries were.
WFIE also reported that Hawkins told officers she acted in self-defense and that the Altima's occupants sprayed her first. A gas station employee reportedly told officers that it appeared Hawkins struck the Altima intentionally. The parties' accounts conflict, and nothing has been adjudicated.
Hawkins was arrested on charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and battery. According to WFIE and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office booking record, she was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail at 7:20 a.m. on September 13. She is presumed innocent, and the descriptions of her conduct are allegations. The injured people have not been publicly named.
What you can do after an incident like this
If you have been exposed to pepper spray, getting medical attention can document the exposure and how it affected you. Officers finding someone in pain is not the same as a medical record.
Report the incident and obtain the case number. When a collision is alleged to have been deliberate, the police report may become important to both the criminal investigation and any insurance claim. The investigating agency's crash report can usually be obtained after the investigation, but a police report does not decide civil liability. This guide explains how to obtain an Indiana police crash report.
Ask the business to preserve any available video. Commercial camera footage can be overwritten quickly, so a timely written preservation request matters. Photographs of the vehicle should also be taken before repairs because the damage pattern may help explain what happened. More information is available in the firm's guide to evidence used in an Indiana car accident claim.
You should also notify your own auto insurer promptly. Coverage questions can become hotly contested when the reported conduct was intentional, and policy notice requirements may apply before the criminal case is resolved.
How Indiana law may apply
Indiana Code 34-11-2-4[2] generally gives an injured person two years to file a personal injury claim. A criminal prosecution does not pause that civil deadline. For an incident on September 13, 2026, the draft identifies the general deadline as on or about September 13, 2028. You can read more about Indiana accident claim deadlines.
Indiana's Comparative Fault Act, Indiana Code 34-51-2-6[3], generally bars recovery when an injured person's fault is greater than 50 percent. Otherwise, recovery is reduced by that person's percentage of fault. Intentional-conduct and self-defense allegations present different questions, and no conclusion about responsibility should be drawn until the conflicting evidence is evaluated.
Insurance can be equally disputed. Auto policies commonly exclude harm an insured causes intentionally. If liability coverage is denied, an injured person's uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may become important under Indiana Code 27-7-5-2[4]. Whether that coverage applies depends on the policy language and how the incident is ultimately characterized. Indiana's minimum auto liability limits are 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per accident for bodily injury, plus 25,000 dollars for property damage, under Indiana Code 9-25-4-5[5].
How Delventhal Law Office can help
Delventhal Law Office, LLC is a Fort Wayne personal injury law firm founded by attorney Chad E. Delventhal in 2009. The firm can help an injured person obtain reports, preserve security video, document vehicle damage, identify available insurance policies, and examine an insurer's intentional-act or UM/UIM coverage position.
Insurance companies may aggressively defend disputed claims, especially when the parties give conflicting accounts. Delventhal Law Office can explain how the evidence, policy language, and Indiana deadlines apply to your circumstances. The firm offers a free case evaluation.
This post is based on public reporting, the investigation may be ongoing, and nothing here is legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
