OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — A traffic stop took a dangerous turn in Oshkosh over the weekend after police say a man took off after being pulled over.
According to police, a man was initially stopped near the intersection of South Park Avenue and Knapp Street before taking off and crashing his car into a house near the intersection of 5th Avenue and Guenther Street. Police say the man then ran off before eventually being captured in a backyard roughly two blocks away.
In a statement from police, the man was first stopped around 10:30 p.m. on the night of June 25 for an operator license violation. The man then fled the scene, but officers didn't go after him, according to police. Shortly after fleeing the scene, police say a citizen called to report that this driver had struck the side of their home, causing minor damage to the siding on the house.
NBC 26 caught up with the homeowner, who gave a slightly different account than the police. She said she didn't call police and didn't even know what had happened until officers came to her home and informed her. She also claimed the crash happened on Saturday, June 24, not on June 25 as police stated.
Amanda Ruby and Ariel Anderson-Ruby live across the street and say they witnessed the crash.
“I wanna say it was between 11:00 and midnight, we were inside watching a movie," said Anderson-Ruby. "We heard a squeal...we ran out the door and we see across the street there is an orange Pontiac in that yard.”
Ruby said he then called the police before he went to investigate, but found no one in the car.
NBC 26 reached out to the police to clarify the story variations but did not hear back.
According to the police statement, the man was arrested for six different offenses, including hit-and-run and a fifth offense for operating while intoxicated. The District Attorney's office said as of Monday afternoon, the man had not been charged.
