Charges pending against 29-year old Austin man who fled from multiple traffic stops and crashed into another vehicle

Charges are pending in Mower County District Court after Austin Police reported that a man who fled from multiple traffic stops Monday afternoon crashed into another vehicle.

Officers were called to the 900 block of Oakland Avenue West around 1:30 pm Monday afternoon concerning a report of someone driving under the influence.  Chief of Police Dave McKichan reported that officers located the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied in the 700 block of 1st Avenue NW.  Authorities stated that a man got into the vehicle and drove east in the westbound lane until turning north onto 6th Street NW.

An officer followed the vehicle as it turned down 3rd Avenue NW and activated his emergency lights when it began driving down the middle of the road.  Chief McKichan stated that the vehicle sped off and the officer turned off his emergency lights to avoid a high speed pursuit but continued to follow the vehicle, trying to pull it over again after it stopped in the intersection of 11th Street and 2nd Avenue NW with another squad car parked in front of it.

McKichan indicated that the driver then went around the parked squad car and turned east onto 1st Avenue NW. An officer followed with his emergency lights off and eventually saw the suspect vehicle crash into a van driven by an 88-year-old man at the intersection of 11th Street and 2nd Avenue NW.

The driver of the van suffered bruising and a cut to his left arm.

The driver of the suspect vehicle, a 29-year-old man from Austin, tried to leave the scene but was apprehended by a Mower County Sheriff’s Deputy who was assisting on the call.  Chief McKichan stated that the suspect appeared to be under the influence and was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin.

The Mower County Attorney’s office is reviewing the incident to determine what official charges to file.