Chesterton standoff ends in charges



Zachariah Colton Vigil

Zachariah Colton Vigil

A Michigan City man, who already has a pending felony charge, is charged for pulling a handgun from his waistband, pointing it at a woman and then racking a bullet into the chamber Wednesday morning in Chesterton.

Porter County’s Emergency Response Team had to be called to Chesterton to help resolve the standoff situation.

Zachariah Colton Vigil, 25, of Michigan City, is charged with pointing a firearm, which is a level-6 felony.

Chesterton police were initially called around 6 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Park Avenue and South 16th Street to check on a report of a large group of people arguing.

Officers spoke with some people at the scene who acknowledged that there was an argument, but that matters had been resolved.

Chesterton police left but were back within 30 minutes after a woman called to say that a man at a residence in the 1600 block of Park Avenue had pointed a gun at her.

When officers went to the Park Avenue residence where the man was located, the occupants wouldn’t allow police to enter.

That led to the call for the Emergency Response Team as the Chesterton police established a perimeter around the residence. Porter and Burns Harbor police were also on hand.

The Porter County Prosecutor’s office was also enlisted by Chesterton police to obtain a search warrant for the Park Street residence.

The standoff ended at 9 a.m. as Vigil surrendered. Officers also recovered several weapons inside the Park Street residence.

Vigil was transported to the Porter County Jail.

On Thursday, Judge Michael A. Fish in Porter County Superior Court 1 set Vigil’s bond at $5,000 cash. The judge also issued a no contact order concerning the woman who had the gun pointed at her.

Vigil already has a pending case of intimidation, a level-6 felony, filed last June in LaPorte County Superior Court 4.

In November 2020, Vigil was acquitted by a LaPorte County jury of a murder charge. Vigil was accused in the shooting death of Antonio Rivera that occurred on July 4, 2020 in Michigan City.

The shooting had grown out of a dispute at a Washington Park parking lot in Michigan City. Rivera had shown a gun and fired it. Vigil was in a car that was chasing Rivera’s vehicle. Vigil fired a shot at Rivera in his car, which then crashed into a business on U.S. 12 and Liberty Trail. Rivera died from his injuries.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *