Driver dies while fleeing off-duty officer

Osceola, Ind. – An autopsy was planned to determine whether a man attempting to flee from an off-duty police officer died from injuries suffered when his pickup truck crashed into a tree or whether he was hit by a shot fired by the officer.

The Mishawaka police officer was driving home from work at about 11 p.m. Monday when he noticed suspicious activity on a used car lot in Osceola, which neighbors Mishawaka east of South Bend, said Catherine Wilson, a St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office spokeswoman.

The officer identified himself repeatedly to Eugene Nusbaum, 43, of Osceola and ordered him to stop as he attempted to get in his truck, Wilson said.

The officer, whose name was not released, reached into the pickup and tried to shift the vehicle out of gear, but Nusbaum took off, dragging the officer. The officer drew his handgun and fired shots.

Nusbaum’s truck continued for about a quarter mile, where it crashed into a tree and flipped over outside a tattoo parlor.

The officer was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, police said.

Investigators believe that Nusbaum was trying to cut a catalytic converter from a vehicle in the car lot when the officer stopped, Wilson said.