The crash, which happened around 4 p.m. Sept. 21 in the area of North Florence Street and Lagonda Avenue in Springfield, occurred after the teen, who was driving a dirt bike on the sidewalk, attempted to enter the roadway and did not yield to a gold Toyota Camry. The Toyota struck and seriously injured the teen. The driver of the Toyota fled the scene, although not at fault in the initial crash, according to a press release from the Springfield Police Division.
A witness who was driving westbound on Lagonda saw a gathering of people in the roadway up ahead when a gold Toyota Camry turned right onto Egmont Avenue immediately in front of him, according to a Springfield Police Division report. The witness turned behind the Camry to get to his home when he saw the Toyota run a stop sign, almost strike another car head on and run another stop sign.
After turning onto Catawba Avenue, the witness saw the Toyota with its driver’s side door open and he noticed the driver “trying to lift up on the bumper of the vehicle/fix the damage,” according to court records. He described the driver as a white man wearing a white Steelers jersey and said when the driver saw him, he got back into the car “and took off down Laurel Street.”
“He stated the vehicle drove back down Lagonda Avenue and made a right turn. If that is accurate, the vehicle would have driven right back through the scene of the accident,” the police report reads.
The witness then followed the car before stopping “as it (had) gained quite a bit of distance,” according to court records. When he returned home, the witness found a family member had taken a video of the car “as it was fleeing outside their home,” and the family member believed he knew the driver. He relayed all this information to police.
Springfield police later followed information that led them to the Toyota parked on Sherman Avenue, finding it there with no plates, sporting damage to the right front of the car as well as the right front windshield. Police also found brown hairs the color of the victim’s on the windshield, according to court records.
Review of a home’s security camera footage shows the Toyota arrive at a neighboring house, pull into the driveway and stop before a white male wearing a Steelers jersey exits and “starts frantically running around looking at the damage to the vehicle.” He then enters the house and a woman exits the house.
Another man enters the frame of the recording and attempts to help the driver push the Toyota up into the driveway using his own car, but is unable to get it all the way into the driveway, according to court records. The driver can be seen wiping the hood of the Toyota.
The camera footage then shows the Toyota being pushed the rest of the way into the driveway by another car before that car’s driver, identified as Michelle Flynn, goes inside the house, according to court records.
Flynn was also arrested last week and charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing official business.
Footage also shows the Toyota’s driver removing the license plate from his car and leaving, according to court records.
When police returned to arrest Oliver, he ran out of the back door of the house but returned inside when he saw the house was surrounded. He “eventually gave up” after police went inside, according to court records. He later allegedly told police the 15-year-old rode out in front of him and he didn’t see him before striking him.
The victim suffered multiple skull and facial fractures and significant swelling and bruising. He is breathing mostly with a ventilator and may have a serious brain injury, according to court records.
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