SHOREWOOD — A 24-year-old Milwaukee man is behind bars after leading Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash near Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue in Shorewood Sunday night.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said a black Mercedes-Benz passed a deputy's squad car at a high rate of speed near 7th and Capitol Drive. The deputy began to chase the suspect but called off the pursuit moments before the suspect crashed into another car at the intersection of Capitol and Oakland just before 7 p.m.
No one was hurt in the crash, but the suspect ran from the scene on foot.
JJ Holz lives near the intersection of Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue and heard the crash from inside his home.
"I was making dinner and then I heard this squeal and then a big crash," Holz said.
Holz said he then saw sheriff's deputies rush down Capitol Drive.
"I heard yelling before I even came down, and some poor guy had his car wrecked," he said.
He said the scene drew attention from others in the neighborhood.
"It was just kind of surprising, and then I even saw kids on their scooters, following, trying to find the guy too," said Holz.
Watch: Shorewood neighbors describe crash caused by suspect fleeing deputies near Capitol and Oakland
According to the Sheriff's Office, the suspect was found trying to get into a different vehicle in a nearby neighborhood and was arrested by UW-Milwaukee Police.
The suspect faces charges including fleeing and eluding, recklessly endangering safety, operating a vehicle without the owner's consent, and misdemeanor bail jumping.
Laurel Brooks, who lives in the area and witnessed the scene, said she wants to see more done to deter reckless driving.
"I believe enforcement is education, and I would like to see more enforcement that causes people to think twice before they engage in those reckless activities," Brooks said.
Laurel Brooks
Holz said he believes fleeing from law enforcement is never worth it.
"You're going to be caught. If you don't get caught this time, you think you're immune, and you're going to get caught next time or the time after that, and that's when you actually cause more death."
This story was reported on-air by TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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