A suspect trying to get away from a hit and run collision and the stolen vehicle he was driving had the misfortune to try and hide in the backyard of a law enforcement member, who was off-duty at the time, but nevertheless, caught the suspect.

The collision was reported to the Turlock Police Department shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday in the 2300 block of East Hawkeye Avenue. Two vehicles collided and the driver of one of the vehicles, a Chevrolet pickup, had fled the scene on foot.

It was soon discovered the pickup had been reported stolen out of Merced County, said Turlock Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Parmley.

Officers on scene set up a perimeter and began a yard to yard search. A helicopter from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department was put in use, as was a police K9. However, the suspect was not located and the perimeter was broken down.

About 20 minutes after the police officers broke down the perimeter, the TPD dispatch received a call from an outside agency off-duty officer who advised he had the possible subject in the hit and run detained in a backyard in the 1600 block of Smith Drive.

Turlock Police officers responded to the scene and took custody of the suspect, who was identified as Andrew Huddleston, 37, of Hughson. Huddleston was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, two counts of hit and run causing injury and a felony warrant for burglary.

The vehicle Huddleston hit had two occupants, both of whom sustained non-life threatening injuries.