APD: Masked man with handgun stole woman’s car at Anderson gas station

ANDERSON, Ind. — Anderson police have a suspect in custody after they say a woman was forced out of her car at gunpoint by a masked man at a local gas station.

Police were called around 4:50 a.m. Monday to the Speedway on Scatterfield Road on a call of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, officers spoke with a woman who said that a man wearing a mask had forcibly stolen her car.

The victim told police she was sitting inside her car when the suspect, armed with a handgun, walked up. The man then allegedly forced her out of the car and demanded her purse and keys before driving away.

Around an hour later, patrol officers saw the stolen car being driven westbound on E. 53rd Street in Anderson. When they attempted to pull over the car, the driver reportedly “refused to comply” and led them on a chase.

Police say the driver fled westbound before crashing the stolen car near the intersection of W. 53rd Street and Drexel Drive. After that, he reportedly got out of the car and continued running away on foot.

Anderson police say officers “quickly established a perimeter” and called the K9 division to help search for the suspect. Eventually, officers found the suspect and took him into custody without further incident. He has since been identified as 24-year-old Collin Ray Ball of Anderson.

Online records show Ball was booked around 12:30 p.m. into the Madison County Jail on preliminary charges of:

• Auto theft
• Leaving the scene of a crash
• Serious violent felon in possession of a firearm
• Robbery
• Parole violation

Records do show that Ball has a long criminal history in Indiana, having been arrested at least five times since 2019 on charges that include Battery Against a Public Safety Official, Criminal Confinement, Resisting Law Enforcement, Criminal Mischief and more. Most recently, in June 2021, Ball was sentenced to three years in prison.

Anyone with further information on this case is asked to call Detective Brett Webb at (765) 648-6731. To submit an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).

No other information was immediately provided by the Anderson Police Department. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.