Indiana Man Accused of Opening Fire Inside IHOP Before High-Speed Chase Ends With SUV Crashing Into Brick House

A late-night confrontation inside an Indiana IHOP allegedly spiraled into gunfire, a dangerous police chase and a dramatic crash into a residential home. Authorities say 28-year-old Austen Geoffery Leigh Wable entered the restaurant furious over suspicions that a cook had been involved with his wife. What followed, according to investigators, was a frightening chain of events that put restaurant employees, motorists and nearby residents at risk.

Police in Muncie responded to the IHOP on North Chadam Lane on October 8, 2026, after receiving a report that a man had brought a gun into the restaurant and fired a shot. Witnesses told investigators that Wable confronted one of the cooks, accusing him of having a sexual relationship with his wife. An employee who tried to calm the situation reportedly described Wable as extremely intoxicated.

According to witness accounts cited in media reports, the argument quickly became physical. Wable allegedly shoved the cook while shouting an angry accusation, then pointed a handgun at him. Another employee intervened and attempted to wrestle the weapon away. During the struggle, the gun discharged, leaving a shell casing at the scene. The employee reportedly believed Wable had been shot after noticing a hole in the back of his pants and hearing him say that he was bleeding.

Instead of remaining at the restaurant, Wable allegedly left in his wife’s SUV. Police soon located the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but investigators say he accelerated away, triggering a high-speed pursuit through the area. The chase reportedly reached speeds exceeding 110 mph, with the SUV weaving through traffic and travelling on the wrong side of the road. At one point, the vehicle allegedly became airborne and narrowly avoided oncoming traffic.

The pursuit came to a violent end when the SUV crashed into a two-story brick house. Officers described Wable as stumbling and appearing disoriented when he got out of the vehicle. Police reportedly used a Taser after he failed to follow their commands. Because he appeared heavily intoxicated, officers were initially unable to question him at the scene.

Authorities later confirmed that Wable had suffered a gunshot wound and took him to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators have not publicly established every detail of how he was injured during the confrontation inside the restaurant. The crash and the alleged reckless driving, meanwhile, raised further questions about the danger posed to people who had no connection to the original dispute.

Court records indicate that Wable had previously been convicted in 2021 of carrying a handgun without a license, a conviction that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. In the current case, he faces multiple preliminary felony charges, including shooting a firearm into an inhabited building, intimidation with a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, pointing a firearm, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He also faces misdemeanor charges related to resisting police and driving with a suspended license.

Wable was being held without bond at the Delaware County Jail, with an initial court hearing scheduled for October 19, 2026, according to the report. The charges are allegations, and the case will proceed through the court system. What began as an alleged personal confrontation inside a family restaurant had escalated into a gun-related incident and a high-speed chase ending at someone’s home—leaving investigators to piece together the full sequence of events.

Sources: Law&Crime