Teen nearly runs off-duty cop off road

Published 1:11 pm Thursday, June 9, 2011

A 19-year-old Austin man was cited for reckless driving after nearly running an off-duty police officer off the road Tuesday evening.

The off-duty officer was driving east in the 2100 block of Fourth Avenue Southeast with his 11-year-old daughter when Curtis Wilson’s vehicle turned onto Fourth Avenue from State Highway 218 and began straddling the center line. Police Chief Brian Krueger said Wilson’s car continued to come towards the officer, until the officer was forced to swerve into the parking lane to avoid collision about four car lengths away from Wilson.

Krueger said Wilson began making “evasive maneuvers” when the officer began to follow him, and eventually the officer lost sight of the teen. A squad car stopped Wilson in the 100 block of Tenth Drive.

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Wilson told police he was distracted looking at a parked vehicle on Fourth Avenue and had not been playing chicken with the officer.

The police report was forwarded to the city attorney’s office for review, Krueger said.