Fender-bender leads to chase

What would have been a small fender-bender at a stop sign turned into a police chase near Kirkwood Avenue.  

Nathan Shaffer, 20, faces preliminary charges of leaving the scene of an accident, resisting law enforcement and battery on a police officer.  

Bloomington Police Department officers were dispatched at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday to the stop sign intersection at Morningside and Smith streets in response to a hit-and-run.

When Officer Josh Taylor arrived on the scene, the male victim, 44, told police he was stopped at the stop sign when he felt the van behind him hit his vehicle. He told police he got out of his vehicle and went back to speak with the driver of the van, who pretended nothing happened.

The victim said Shaffer got out of his van and both men agreed the damage was minor and police did not need to be called; they would simply exchange information. The victim told police Shaffer got back in his van. The victim assumed Shaffer was getting his insurance information, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.

The victim told police Shaffer then fled the scene, hitting the victim’s left knee. The victim was able to obtain the van’s license plate number, Canada said.

When police ran the license plate number, the last name on the vehicle’s registration was Shaffer. Police then took the victim with them to the address listed. The victim identified the van in the parking lot. When police knocked on the front door of the residence, no one answered.

Later, Taylor and another officer went back to the listed address where they came in contact with Shaffer and the vehicle’s registered owner. Shaffer matched the description given by the victim, and police asked him if he would go to the police station for an interview about the accident.

Shaffer agreed, so police placed him in the backseat of the squad car without handcuffs because he was not under arrest, Canada said.

When officers reached the police station and opened the back door, Shaffer fled, running through traffic across Third Street, northbound toward Kirkwood Ave., Canada said. Taylor chased after Shaffer and saw him run into United Methodist Church.

Officer Ben Burns and BPD Chief Mike Diekhoff were in the area and saw Shaffer running west up Washington Street. Burns overtook Shaffer, who then began fighting Burns.

Burns said Shaffer did not make contact with him, but he put his arm around his neck and attempted to strangle him, Canada said, reading from a police report.

Officer Mike Baker and Diekhoff were able to put Shaffer into handcuffs, after which he was taken to the Monroe County jail.