The scene at the diner
Things went south in a major way at a Muncie, Indiana, IHOP this past Thursday. According to court documents, 28-year-old Austen Wable stormed into the restaurant, appearing “extremely drunk,” and went straight for a cook.
Witnesses say Wable confronted the staffer, shouting, “You f–ked my bitch, bro,” before allegedly pushing him. Things escalated fast when Wable pointed his gun at the cook. The weapon went off, hitting the worker in the leg. “I’m leaking,” the cook reportedly shouted after the shot was fired.
From the kitchen to the road
After the shooting, the situation moved to the parking lot. Wable allegedly pulled out a knife and chased the employee, though it’s not clear if he had the blade on him when he first entered the building.
After the altercation, Wable jumped into his wife’s Buick Enclave and took off. This kicked off a high-speed police chase where he clocked in at roughly 110mph. Court documents noted he was moving so fast the SUV nearly went airborne. The chaos ended when he finally crashed the car into a house. When police arrived, they found him stumbling and “disoriented.”
The fallout
Wable has been slapped with three Level 5 felonies: shooting a firearm into an inhabited building, intimidation with a deadly weapon, and the unlawful carrying of a handgun. With each felony carrying a max of six years in prison, he’s facing some real time. He also has a prior 2021 conviction for carrying a gun without a license.
Why it matters
This incident is a massive L for safety in public spaces. Beyond the terrifying violence at the restaurant, the 110mph chase put entire neighborhoods at risk. It’s a sobering reminder of how quickly personal drama can spiral into a life-altering legal nightmare—no cap.
