RACINE - Police shot and arrested a man Saturday evening who had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman an hour earlier, then charged three officers with his van.

Police were holding Chad Schuster, 31, of 1827 Center St., under arrest Saturday night at Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital, 3801 Spring St. Schuster was reportedly in stable condition with a single gunshot wound.

Racine Police Department spokesman Sgt. Bernie Kupper gave the following account of the events that ended with Schuster's capture:

A sexual assault was called in at about 5:30 p.m., after the female victim fled a van parked near the skateboard park along Pershing Drive. Witnesses at the park called police and provided the van's license plate and

description.

Kupper said dispatchers put out a radio call to all squads to try to find the van owned by Schuster. Officers were alerted that his driver's license had been revoked, and that he was on parole with an

outstanding felony warrant - apparently for a parole violation.

Police looked for the van near Schuster's house and other areas. They spotted him at about 6:30 p.m. in the van in the alley east of Franklin Street, near 20th Street, Kupper said. An officer called for a cover squad.

Then, Kupper said, as three officers walked toward Schuster's van from behind it, giving him commands and instructions, he put the van in reverse and accelerated toward them.

Kupper said the officers jumped to the side to avoid the approaching van. They thought they were in enough danger that one officer fired several rounds into the left side of the vehicle, which continued onto 20th Street.

The same officers pursued Schuster as he fled south on Center Street; he was then seen heading east on 21st Street.

At Wisconsin Avenue, Schuster turned north, then veered onto the one-block dead end portion of Main Street, Kupper said. Seeing he had no outlet, he stopped the van and ran through a yard, then

collapsed.

Kupper said just one officer fired his weapon, no shots were fired after the initial burst and no officers were injured.

Schuster was arrested and taken to All Saints, evidently with a single gunshot wound in the lower left area of his back.

The only certain charge Saturday night, Kupper said, was the parole violation, which was enough to hold Schuster until all parts of the investigation could be completed and charges determined. Racine police were consulting with the district attorney's office on the matter.

Shortly after the chase ended, a red and silver Chevrolet van sat at the curb in the 1700 block of Main Street. It had a flat left-front tire, at least five apparent bullet holes in the left side and badly mangled window blinds hanging over a left-side window.

Kevin Barz, 56, of Racine, said he followed the entire incident on the police scanner in his vehicle. Barz said he was at the lakefront when he heard the initial rape-response call for a rescue squad.

"I'm so glad they caught him," he said later as he viewed the capture scene from the sidewalk.

Kupper said much investigating remained to be done as of about 10 p.m. Saturday, as there were three separate scenes to examine. The multipronged investigation will include an internal review of the shooting, which is standard protocol.