MILWAUKEE — Four serious crashes involving drivers fleeing police or attempted traffic stops have happened in the Milwaukee area in less than a week, leaving three people dead and renewing questions about when officers should pursue.
The most recent happened Tuesday night after Germantown police attempted to stop a vehicle connected to a criminal investigation.
Watch Mike Beiermeister's report in the video player below:
Police said the driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit that continued into Milwaukee. The driver eventually lost control and hit a pole near North 46th Street and West Fairmount Avenue.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the passenger killed in the crash as 58-year-old Kathy Yvette Thomas. The medical examiner said Thomas was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
Paul Turner, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than a decade, told TMJ4 he encountered the fleeing vehicle during the pursuit and narrowly avoided being hit.
“I could not be talking to y’all today,” Turner said. “He could have hit me — and me and a couple more cars.”
Turner said he later heard the crash near 46th and Fairmount.
The crash followed three other serious incidents involving drivers fleeing police or an attempted stop in recent days.
On Saturday, Milwaukee police attempted to stop a vehicle for a registration violation near North 33rd and West Hadley streets. Police said the driver fled at a high rate of speed and crashed before officers could initiate a pursuit. The crash ultimately involved two pedestrians, including a 40-year-old who police said suffered serious injuries.
On Monday, Milwaukee police pursued a vehicle sought in a narcotics investigation. The fleeing vehicle collided with another vehicle near North 30th and West Center streets. The medical examiner identified Jose David Leezama-Flores as the person killed in the vehicle struck by the fleeing driver.
Another Milwaukee police pursuit turned deadly Tuesday afternoon after police said a woman reported being carjacked at gunpoint while a passenger remained inside the stolen vehicle.
Police said the driver lost control near North 27th Street and West Highland Boulevard, struck a median, rolled over and collided with another vehicle. The medical examiner identified the driver as 20-year-old Isaac Isaiah Jelks.
The circumstances surrounding the four incidents are different, a distinction Alderwoman Sharlen Moore said is important when discussing pursuit policy.
Moore previously backed Fire and Police Commission recommendations aimed at narrowing when Milwaukee officers can initiate certain pursuits.
The Fire and Police Commission recommended changes to MPD’s pursuit policy earlier this year, but Police Chief Jeffrey Norman declined to revise the policy at the time, writing in May that the department was “not inclined to revise SOP 660.”
Moore later pushed for the Common Council to take up the issue, but the council did not advance the proposed changes in July.
“We're not telling you to stop pursuits,” Moore told TMJ4. “At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we're pursuing dangerous individuals. However, we were saying let's be thoughtful and mindful about how we do those pursuits.”
Following the recent crashes, Moore said she wants more information before deciding whether another effort to change Milwaukee's pursuit policy is warranted.
“I think what we need to do is just do some fact-finding,” Moore said. “Call in MPD to just share with us what has happened in this past week and what are the variables?”
In a statement to TMJ4, Milwaukee police said the department recognizes the physical, emotional and financial impacts police pursuits can have on officers, the public and fleeing suspects.
MPD said all department-initiated pursuits are documented and reviewed by the involved officers' commanding officers before being forwarded to the Internal Affairs Division for a final determination on whether the pursuit complied with department policy.
Germantown police declined to comment beyond its news release on Tuesday night's pursuit.
Turner said he believes responsibility lies both with people who flee police and officers deciding whether a pursuit should continue.
“Don't flee, don't flee. It ain't worth it,” Turner said. “You're gonna end up killing somebody, killing yourself, taking somebody from a father, mother, daughter, from their family members. Stop the chasing, stop the running.”
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