Man sentenced to 2 years in prison after pleading guilty to beating and seriously injuring an FAI soldier

INDIANAPOLIS — A man who admitted to hitting and seriously injuring an Indiana State Police trooper on southbound I-65 in January has been sentenced to two years in prison.

According to online court records, Armaandeep Singh, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious bodily injury while driving while intoxicated, which is a Level 5 felony.

In exchange for a guilty plea to this charge, the State will dismiss the following charges that were originally filed against Singh:

• Causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.08 or greater, level 5 felony
• Reckless driving resulting in bodily injury, misdemeanor charge

As part of the plea deal, Singh had two other charges against him dropped and was sentenced to a total of five years, with two years in prison and three years suspended with two years of probation. As part of his sentence, Singh must also undergo evaluations and treatment for substance abuse.

Singh's driver's license was also suspended for an additional two years upon his release from prison.

According to previous reports, a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox that Singh was driving struck Trooper Azariah Keith on Jan. 20 while Keith was helping a motorist change a tire on I-65 SB near 30th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The incident occurred around 9:17 p.m.

Police initially arrested and preliminarily charged Singh with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.15 or greater, and reckless driving.

ISP said at the time that an additional trooper responded to the area to help Keith. This police officer had blocked the left lane of the highway while Keith continued to change the motorist's tire.

Keith was released from Eskenazi Hospital after spending 17 days in the hospital. ISP said at the time that Keith had a “long road to recovery but remained upbeat and in good spirits.”