SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – There was a big police response in South Burlington on Thursday afternoon after a wanted man fled into the woods of a neighborhood.
South Burlington officers spotted John Austin, a man wanted in an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case out of Burlington.
But when police tried to make contact with Austin near Oakwood Drive, he ran into the woods near a busy South Burlington neighborhood off Dorset Street, about a mile away.
Police say he hid there for about half an hour before he peacefully surrendered himself to police at the Dorset Commons apartment complex.
No weapons were found at the scene but police were continuing to search.
“At this stage, we don’t know if he was previously armed, that’s why we are doing an evidence search in the wooded area, but when he was handcuffed he was not armed,” South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke said.
Krystal Walsh-Kimball/Neighbor: All of a sudden we see a guy crouched down over in the corner by the line because we live next door.
Reporter Ike Bendavid: He was hiding from police. What was going through your mind?
Krystal Walsh-Kimball: Oh, boy, he’s right there and I had to send my kids away because we were told earlier there was a bad man that was armed.
I’m told Austin was evaluated and brought to the hospital after running through the woods and mud, though it’s not clear if he’s injured.
We also don’t know specifically what charges he may be facing.