An Oshkosh man is in custody following a high speed chase in Fond du Lac. Shortly after 1:30pm Friday police were called to the 100 block of Welsh Street for a physical altercation involving an Oshkosh man who allegedly verbally threatened to kill a person at that location before leaving in a vehicle. When officers attempted a traffic stop in the area of W. Johnson Street and N. Main Street the vehicle fled westbound on W. Johnson Street, entering Interstate 41 northbound. The pursuit reached speeds of approximately 80 MPH. The chase ended when the vehicle ran over spike strips near County Highway N. The lone occupant, a 36 year-old Oshkosh man, had locked the vehicle doors, rolled the windows up, and refused to obey commands to exit the vehicle. Deputies had to break a car window in order to gain entry to the vehicle. The male continued to refuse to obey commands of deputies and resisted efforts to take him into custody. A deputy discharged a Conducted Energy Weapon, which was effective, and deputies were able to remove
the suspect from the vehicle where he was then taken into custody by the Fond du Lac Police Department. A Sheriff’s Office squad car sustained minor damage during the box in maneuver. No other property damage or injuries to law enforcement or the suspect occurred. Shortly before 2pm and after the conclusion of the vehicle pursuit, southbound traffic on I-41 was slowing down as drivers were watching what was taking place in the northbound lanes. A southbound vehicle rear-ended another southbound vehicle that had slowed for southbound traffic, which started a chain collision that resulted in four vehicles colliding with one another. As a result of this crash, I-41 was down to one lane of travel in the southbound lanes for approximately one-hour before being completely reopened. No serious injuries were sustained during this crash.
