INDIANAPOLIS, IN - On Friday, July 26th, charges were officially filed against the man who, according to prosecutors, caused a car accident that injured six children and their mother just a few days prior.
On Tuesday, July 23rd, surveillance video used from the tire shop, Tons of Tires, captured a speeding Dodge Charger SRT at the intersection of East New York Street and North State Avenue. It ran through a red light and the neighborhood intersection before slamming into a Ford Explorer carrying a mother and her six children.
The incident happened just after 3:30 p.m. and investigators said that they estimate the vehicle was going about 90 mph before crashing into the Ford; the posted speed limit at the neighborhood intersection is 30 mph, which means the driver, since identified as 27-year-old Tramayne Harris was going nearly 60 miles over the speed limit.
Harris has been charged with 13 counts tied to crash, including four counts of causing catastrophic injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, four counts of causing serious bodily injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, four counts of criminal recklessness while driving aggressively, and one count of a learner's permit violation.
According to court records, Harris recently walked out of federal prison after being sentenced to five years and one day for pleading guilty back in 2021 to distributing marijuana and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) would not provide the date Harris was released, but online court records list that he was no longer in the system's custody on July 23, 2024, the day of the accident.
In the charging documents, the Marion County Prosecutors Office noted that Harris was on federal probation and according to the U.S. Marshals Service, he allegedly walked away from a BOP halfway house facility before finishing the remainder of his sentence. When his case in Marion County concludes, he will be placed back in the custody of the BOP.
Harris' criminal history dates back to 2015 and is marked with multiple driving-related offenses, drug, and gun crimes. He got his first traffic infraction at the age of 18, which was in February of 2015, for driving with a suspended license. For that case, he ended up failing to appear in court.
Four months later, he was ordered to spend four days in jail on a marijuana possession charge. Court records show he had two additional speeding infractions and pleaded guilty to driving while suspended in Rush County. For that case, he took a plea deal, which required him to spend a day in jail.
His first felony charge was in November of 2015. Marion County prosecutors charged him with intimidation, a low-level felony, and resisting law enforcement. He pleaded guilty to the resisting charges and spent a little more than two and a half months in jail. Over the next three years, he was charged in four separate traffic misdemeanor cases in Marion County. All were dismissed or concluded as another failure to appear in court.
In 2019, Marion County prosecutors filed charges against him, bringing unlawful firearm and narcotic possession against him. Those cases were dismissed when the U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges in federal court. A grand jury then indicted him on four federal drug and gun trafficking charges. He pleaded guilty to two as pat of a plea deal and was ordered to supervised release for 36 months.
A witness to the car crash said that during civilian rescue efforts to save the children before first responders arrived, Harris who was bleeding, came up to the mother and a boy investigators believe were ejected from the vehicle to say he was sorry. According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMP), an eight-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene, but "incredible life-saving efforts" brought him back to life. As of this writing, he remains unconscious and on life support after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
A 10-year-old suffered "devastating" internal injuries and also remains unconscious in the hospital. A 12-year-old suffered severe fractures and is recovering in the hospital. The other children and their mother are reported to be in stable condition with the children having contusions and lacerations.
Prosecutors have also accused Harris of driving aggressively and passing vehicles on the double yellow line, nearly striking another car before the crash. Harris also drove his vehicle on a valid learner's permit, but did not have a licensed driver with him in the car. A GoFundMe was created by the children's uncle who said that family was close to their home when Harris crashed into the SUV.
On Tuesday, July 23rd, surveillance video used from the tire shop, Tons of Tires, captured a speeding Dodge Charger SRT at the intersection of East New York Street and North State Avenue. It ran through a red light and the neighborhood intersection before slamming into a Ford Explorer carrying a mother and her six children.
The incident happened just after 3:30 p.m. and investigators said that they estimate the vehicle was going about 90 mph before crashing into the Ford; the posted speed limit at the neighborhood intersection is 30 mph, which means the driver, since identified as 27-year-old Tramayne Harris was going nearly 60 miles over the speed limit.
Harris has been charged with 13 counts tied to crash, including four counts of causing catastrophic injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, four counts of causing serious bodily injury when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, four counts of criminal recklessness while driving aggressively, and one count of a learner's permit violation.
According to court records, Harris recently walked out of federal prison after being sentenced to five years and one day for pleading guilty back in 2021 to distributing marijuana and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) would not provide the date Harris was released, but online court records list that he was no longer in the system's custody on July 23, 2024, the day of the accident.
In the charging documents, the Marion County Prosecutors Office noted that Harris was on federal probation and according to the U.S. Marshals Service, he allegedly walked away from a BOP halfway house facility before finishing the remainder of his sentence. When his case in Marion County concludes, he will be placed back in the custody of the BOP.
Harris' criminal history dates back to 2015 and is marked with multiple driving-related offenses, drug, and gun crimes. He got his first traffic infraction at the age of 18, which was in February of 2015, for driving with a suspended license. For that case, he ended up failing to appear in court.
Four months later, he was ordered to spend four days in jail on a marijuana possession charge. Court records show he had two additional speeding infractions and pleaded guilty to driving while suspended in Rush County. For that case, he took a plea deal, which required him to spend a day in jail.
His first felony charge was in November of 2015. Marion County prosecutors charged him with intimidation, a low-level felony, and resisting law enforcement. He pleaded guilty to the resisting charges and spent a little more than two and a half months in jail. Over the next three years, he was charged in four separate traffic misdemeanor cases in Marion County. All were dismissed or concluded as another failure to appear in court.
In 2019, Marion County prosecutors filed charges against him, bringing unlawful firearm and narcotic possession against him. Those cases were dismissed when the U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges in federal court. A grand jury then indicted him on four federal drug and gun trafficking charges. He pleaded guilty to two as pat of a plea deal and was ordered to supervised release for 36 months.
A witness to the car crash said that during civilian rescue efforts to save the children before first responders arrived, Harris who was bleeding, came up to the mother and a boy investigators believe were ejected from the vehicle to say he was sorry. According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMP), an eight-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene, but "incredible life-saving efforts" brought him back to life. As of this writing, he remains unconscious and on life support after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
A 10-year-old suffered "devastating" internal injuries and also remains unconscious in the hospital. A 12-year-old suffered severe fractures and is recovering in the hospital. The other children and their mother are reported to be in stable condition with the children having contusions and lacerations.
Prosecutors have also accused Harris of driving aggressively and passing vehicles on the double yellow line, nearly striking another car before the crash. Harris also drove his vehicle on a valid learner's permit, but did not have a licensed driver with him in the car. A GoFundMe was created by the children's uncle who said that family was close to their home when Harris crashed into the SUV.
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Comments
2024-07-31T15:17-0500 | Comment by: thomas
Keep letting these guys off easy. This guy needs life
2024-08-01T08:29-0500 | Comment by: Johnny
Although Harris said he was "sorry", the sincerely of his statement pales next to his horrible accident with victims. He should be put back into BOP for many years. This time no plea deals!