Police: EC man steals vehicle, causes hit-and-run crash

Dan Holtz, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Oct. 7—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire teen stole a vehicle and then caused a hit-and-run crash on the city's north side, police say.

Anthony A. Cooper, 17, 3103 Seventh St., was charged this week in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of driving or operating a vehicle without the owner's consent and a misdemeanor count of hit and run attended vehicle.

A $1,500 signature bond was set for Cooper, which prohibits him from having contact with the victim.

Cooper returns to court Nov. 16.

According to the criminal complaint:

An Eau Claire police officer responded Saturday to a report of a stolen vehicle.

A woman left to go to work at 4:30 a.m. at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. She parked along Fifth Avenue near Spruce Street. She went out to her vehicle for her break between 9 and 10 a.m. and noticed it missing.

The woman leaves her keys under the front seat so she can start the vehicle when she goes out for a break.

Surveillance video from the hospital shows a person covered in a blanket getting inside the vehicle and driving away at 8:51 a.m.

At 4:07 p.m. on Saturday, a different police officer was sent to a hit-and-run crash at Highway 312 and Abbe Hill Drive.

A woman said she was in the left lane traveling west on Highway 312 and there was a red van in the right lane. When a traffic light turned green, the driver of the red van suddenly made a U-turn in front of her and struck her vehicle. The driver of the red van then drove off.

The occupants of the striking vehicle, which was the vehicle reported stolen that morning from near the hospital, fled on foot near Northwoods Elementary School and were apprehended by police in the 1500 block of McKinley Avenue. Cooper was identified as the driver.

The driver's side window on the stolen van was shattered. The driver's side door and sliding door were not operable. The vehicle had been left running when Cooper fled.

Cooper told police he borrowed the van from a man and didn't know who owned it. He denied knowing it was stolen.

The other person who was in the vehicle with Cooper told police Cooper told the person to run once they parked following the crash because the vehicle was stolen.

If convicted of the felony charge, Cooper could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison.