IndyCar’s Dixon, Franchitti unharmed after being robbed at Taco Bell
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis 500 pole-winner Scott Dixon and retired three-time race winner Dario Franchitti were unharmed after being robbed at gunpoint in the drivethru lane of a Taco Bell making a late-night food run, police said Monday.
The robbery happened shortly before 10 p.m. at the fast-food restaurant less than a mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Dixon a few hours earlier had won the top starting position in IndyCar’s showcase race coming up on Sunday. Police did not immediately disclose what was taken. Two boys, ages 15 and 14, were arrested a short time later. The police report listed three victims: Dixon, his wife, Emma, and Franchitti. Police spokesman Aaron Hamer said Dixon’s wife was not in the vehicle and the investigation was ongoing.
Tony Kanaan, Dixon’s teammate with Chip Ganassi Racing, told reporters that Dixon was making a food run for a group of drivers. Franchitti, who retired in 2013, also works for the team.
“While they were ordering with their windows down two guys approached at gunpoint,” Kannan said. “They held a gun at Dixon’s head and asked him for his wallet and his phone.”
In the report, detectives said surveillance cameras showed a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot before the robbery. About 30 minutes later, the report said, officers stopped the car and the passenger fled. He was apprehended by a police dog. One of the suspects was taken to Marion County Holding at Eskenazi Hospital while the other went to the local juvenile detention center.
Dixon, who is from New Zealand, is the 2008 Indy 500 winner. Franchitti won 31 IndyCar races, tied for ninth all-time, and like Dixon won four series titles.