Man arrested during traffic stop, wanted for beating woman in Gary

A man wanted for battering the mother of his children in May in Gary was arrested Saturday after a traffic stop for a broken headlight in northwest Indiana.

About 11 p.m., a trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for an improper headlight on Route 12 at the border between Porter and Lake counties, according to Indiana State Police.

The driver could not provide the trooper with identification and gave a name and date of birth that turned out to be false, police said. When the trooper asked for a name and date of birth a second time, the driver again gave false information, as the physical descriptors didn’t match.

Eventually, the driver identified himself as 27-year-old Diondray Gill of Gary, and admitted to having multiple warrants and not having a valid driver’s license, police said. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Taurus .22LR handgun under the driver’s seat, for which Gill said he had for protection.

Gill was booked on a preliminary felony charge of identity deception, as well as misdemeanor charges of providing false information, not having a license and having a handgun without a license, police said. A female passenger was released from the scene without charges.

He also had three outstanding warrants, one for a charge of kidnapping/criminal confinement with a nationwide extradition, and two local warrants from the Gary Police Department, police said. He was taken to the Porter County Jail.

On May 18, Gill punched, choked and threw keys at the mother of his child in the 4700 block of East 10th Avenue, Gary police said at the time. He had to be pulled off of her by another person and ran away before police arrived at the scene.

Gill was charged at the time with two counts of criminal confinement, domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, strangulation and domestic battery, Gary police said.