IUPD arrest man in drive-by punching case

Bloomington resident Quinn Surface was arrested Friday on an assault warrant in relation to an incident June 13 involving a man who got out of his car and struck another man with his fist.

The victim in the original incident was assaulted after leaving Village Pantry on 10th Street and was left with two front teeth chipped and a cut on the inside of his nose.

The same day of that incident there was a report of someone in a similar red Honda verbally harassing people in the parking lot of Willkie Residence Center.

It was the connection between those two incidents that allowed IU Police Department to make the arrest, said IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger.

The people who reported the incident in the parking lot told police they thought they recognized the driver and, following up with other interviews, IUPD Officer Shaune Davis was able to track down the driver of the vehicle that night. This led Davis to Surface, who had been a passenger in the car, Minger said.

Surface was arrested last Friday at Tire Barn, 3450 W. Third St., where he works as an assistant manager, according to an IUPD press release.

Minger said arrests are often not made after these kinds of incidents because there is often sketchy information and it is difficult to track down suspects or witnesses. Minger attributed Davis’ success to good police work.

“We are really lucky to have someone have that caliber who wanted to be a police officer at the University,” Minger said.