The driver of a cherry-red 2000 Mercury Cougar refused to pull over for an Oak Harbor police officer, resulting in a short-lived pursuit Wednesday afternoon.

Officer John Little attempted to pull over the vehicle for speeding along Sixth Avenue, but the driver decided to run. The car chase turned to a search after the Cougar plowed through Neal Noorlag’s front yard shortly after 3 p.m. Noorlag lives on Ely Street in a historic home built in 1940.

The Cougar wiped out about 15-feet of the aged wooden fence and knocked over an apple tree. The driver, a white male, left the car running, radio playing and took off on foot.

“My dad built this fence in 1950,” Noorlag said as he snapped photos of crumpled car, broken boards and bent rebar that once supported the fence posts. “We’ve been trying to keep these boards alive for quite some time.”

Noorlag was home at the time, but didn’t hear the crash. He learned of the incident after a neighbor called to make sure he was OK.

A detailed description of the white male was not immediately available.