Hammond — Brianna A. Coleman-Watts, 26, of Hammond, is facing felony domestic battery charges after Indiana State Police allege she struck the father of her 3-year-old child with her vehicle during a domestic dispute on Interstate 80 in Lake County.
According to court documents, troopers were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. on May 11, 2026 to westbound Interstate 80 near the 5.6 mile marker after dispatchers received reports that a woman struck a man with a vehicle and left him on the shoulder of the interstate following a dispute. Dispatchers also reportedly received a separate witness report stating a woman struck a man with her vehicle on the shoulder of the interstate.
Court documents state Coleman-Watts also contacted dispatch and advised she drove to her residence in the 4800 block of Columbia Avenue in Hammond after leaving the man on the shoulder of the interstate. According to the affidavit, Coleman-Watts told dispatchers her 3-year-old daughter was inside the vehicle during the incident.
Police stated traffic cameras later showed the man walking from Interstate 80 toward Cline Avenue before troopers located him near Nebraska Street and 173rd Street.
According to investigators, the man told police he and Coleman-Watts were in an off and on relationship and shared a daughter together. Court documents state the man told troopers he was with Coleman-Watts due to it being Mother’s Day the day before and that they had gone shopping in Hobart and were on the way back to the Columbia Avenue residence when the argument began.
Court documents state the man told troopers Coleman-Watts wanted him out of the vehicle and attempted to film him with her phone after they stopped on the shoulder of the interstate. The man alleged he took the phone, which caused Coleman-Watts to begin grabbing on him and hitting him before he exited the vehicle and started walking down the shoulder.
According to the affidavit, the man stated Coleman-Watts then bumped the rear of his legs twice with the front of the Nissan before accelerating into him with enough force to cause him to fall onto the hood of the vehicle. Court documents state the man held onto the hood and windshield wipers while Coleman-Watts continued driving before he eventually slid off the side of the car as she drove away.
Troopers documented cuts, bruising, and abrasions to the man’s hand, knee, legs, and nose. Court records state he suffered a cut to his hand after grabbing the windshield wiper and had minor bleeding from several injuries. He declined medical treatment at the scene.
Investigators later responded to Coleman-Watts’ residence where they located the gray 2013 Nissan Altima parked inside a garage. According to court documents, troopers observed fresh damage to the hood and front passenger-side fender along with visible handprints in the dirt on the hood, which investigators believed indicated someone had been struck and was holding onto the vehicle while it was moving. Troopers also observed a bent section of the hood and a significant dent in the front passenger-side fender that investigators believed showed the person had been struck with force.
Police stated Coleman-Watts initially denied striking the man with the vehicle and claimed he had “put his hands on her.” According to the affidavit, Coleman-Watts later claimed the man grabbed her neck during the argument, though troopers stated they observed no visible injuries or discoloration on her neck.
Court documents state troopers confronted Coleman-Watts with the damage and handprints on the Nissan, at which point she allegedly admitted she hit the man with the car and acknowledged he landed on the hood. According to investigators, Coleman-Watts stated she struck him with the Nissan “to get him out the way.”
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed May 12, 2026:
Domestic Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, a Level 5 Felony
Domestic Battery Resulting in Moderate Bodily Injury, a Level 6 Felony
Domestic Battery, a Class A Misdemeanor
