MAN ALLEGEDLY PULLED GUN ON IHOP COOK OVER AFFAIR CLAIM
An Indiana man allegedly pulled a gun on a cook at a Muncie IHOP on October 8, 2026, after claiming the cook had slept with his wife, then led police on a 110 mph chase. Austen Wable, 28, was arrested after crashing into a brick house and faces preliminary felony charges, court documents said.
Police were sent to the restaurant after a caller reported a man with a gun, Local 12 reported. The 911 caller told dispatch the whole thing started over the alleged affair.
A witness told police Wable was “extremely drunk” and shoved the cook before yelling, “You f—ed my b— bro,” according to the New York Post. The witness said they tried to calm things down, but Wable allegedly pointed the gun at the cook and it went off.
Wable apparently took the bullet himself, in the leg. The witness noticed a hole in the back of his pants and said Wable told them, “I’m leaking.”
Officers later found a firearm and a shell casing on the restaurant floor, Local 12 reported. The cook reportedly declined to cooperate with the investigation.
The argument then spilled into the parking lot, where Wable allegedly chased the cook around with a knife. He then took off in his wife’s SUV, a Buick Enclave, the Post reported.
Police tracked the vehicle with Flock cameras to Biltmore Avenue, Local 12 reported. When officers found it, Wable allegedly sped away, hit about 110 mph and weaved dangerously through traffic.
Law & Crime reported that the SUV went airborne at one point and nearly hit vehicles coming the other way. The chase ended on South County Road 400 E when the SUV slammed into a brick house, NJ.com reported.
Court documents described Wable as “disoriented” and said he “began stumbling to his right” after climbing out. Officers used a stun gun when he allegedly ignored commands, and he was arrested. Law & Crime reported he was taken to a local hospital for his gunshot wound.
Wable’s preliminary felony charges include criminal recklessness for shooting a firearm into an inhabited building, intimidation with a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, pointing a firearm, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and operating while intoxicated while endangering a person. He also faces misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement and driving while suspended.
Police said a 2021 conviction for carrying a handgun without a license barred him from having a gun at all. He refused to answer questions during his arrest, Local 12 reported.
Wable is being held without bond at the Delaware County Jail pending a bond hearing. Law & Crime reported an initial hearing was scheduled for October 19, 2026.
