Citizens chase, catch alleged bandit
Douglas Walker
dwalker@muncie.gannett.com
A Muncie man was arrested Thursday after he alleged attacked and tried to rob a woman.
William Hilterbran, 22, was captured by two men who heard the victim's screams, police said.
The attack took place in a parking garage on the Ball State University campus.
MUNCIE – If allegations in police reports are true, William Patrick Hilterbran picked the wrong time and place to rough up a woman during an attempted robbery.
The Muncie man — who observed his 22nd birthday on Monday — was arrested Thursday morning after he allegedly attacked a woman who was paying to park in a garage on the Ball State University campus — in the 1700 block of West Ashland Avenue.
The victim told police that as she was returning her wallet to her backpack, she was grabbed, from behind, in a choke hold by a man later identified as Hilterbran.
The woman said she was struggling to breathe as the bandit demanded her money. She also suffered a chipped tooth in the attack.
The victim was able to scream, drawing the attention of two men, who came to her rescue.
According to an affidavit, the men chased Hilterbran — who "ran out of his shoes," a campus officer wrote. At one point, the Muncie man punched "one of the good Samaritans in the face" before being subdued, the document said.
"A man being escorted by two males walked up to my police vehicle," the officer reported.
Hilterbran was taken to the Delaware County jail, preliminarily charged with robbery, strangulation and two counts of battery. He was being held on Friday under a $30,000 bond.
The two men who "escorted" him to the police car were not identified by name in the affidavit.
According to court records, Hilterbran was convicted of three crimes in 2013 — forgery in Delaware County and theft and criminal mischief in Hancock County.
Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.