PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A man is in custody following a police pursuit that stemmed from a reckless driving complaint.
Around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, the Oshkosh Police Department was dispatched for a reckless driver near HWY 41 southbound and Oshkosh Avenue. The 911 caller reported a vehicle was swerving and almost ran another vehicle off the road.
Authorities learned this same vehicle was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Winnebago County a short time earlier.
Police say the reckless driver exited onto W 9th Avenue, possibly hitting a retaining wall, then jumped the roundabout at the top of the off-ramp and drove on sidewalks.
A citizen followed the vehicle to a parking lot near Witzel Avenue and S Koeller Street, where police located the vehicle in the nearby gas station parking lot.
An officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued through the parking lot, failing to stop. The officer positioned their squad car in front of the vehicle, preventing it from entering onto Witzel Avenue in the 1800 block.
The driver then refused police commands to turn the vehicle off and exit the vehicle. The driver eventually drove around the marked squad car, over the adjacent terrace and onto Witzel Avenue.
Due to the vehicle’s dangerous driving behavior and threat to the public, police initiated a pursuit. Officers successfully stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver within a few blocks of the initial stop attempt.
The suspect, a 46-year-old man from Neenah, was charged with:
- Felony eluding
- Resisting/obstructing an officer
- 2nd offense OWI
- Operating after revocation of a driver’s license
- Failure to install an ignition interlock device
- Open intoxicants in a motor vehicle
He is currently being held at the Winnebago County Jail.
If you have information about this incident, contact the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477 or via the P3 App.
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