MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee police officer was hurt when a suspect intentionally hit him with their car during a chase, Chief Jeffrey Norman said Tuesday.
At a news conference Tuesday, Chief Norman explained that officers from the Special Investigation Division were conducting surveillance at a home in the area of 40th and Villard for suspected illegal possession of firearms and possession of heroin and cocaine.
Shortly before noon, Norman said officers noticed a man left the home and drove away. They initiated a traffic stop. The driver initially pulled over, but eventually drove off.
Officers chased the man, who later crashed into an uninvolved vehicle, then got out and ran away. That's when police began to chase the man on foot.
Chief Norman says that during that foot pursuit, a second suspect known to the first man, driving a different vehicle, drove his car into the chasing officer.
"It looked very intentional," Norman said at the news conference.
Remarks from Chief Norman at Tuesday's news conference:
A second officer fired shots at the striking driver, who then drove away. Police don't know if that suspect was shot or not.
The 29-year-old man who officers were chasing on foot was arrested Tuesday. On Wednesday, police announced the second suspect, a 30-year-old woman, was arrested and her vehicle had been recovered.
The officer who was hit by the car was taken to the hospital for treatment of "serious" injuries. Chief Norman said he is expected to survive. He is a 29-year-old man with 10 years of service in the Milwaukee Police Department.
The detective that shot at the suspect is a 33-year-old man with over 15 years of service. He will be placed on administrative duty per protocol.
The driver of the uninvolved vehicle suffered minor injuries.
A TMJ4 News crew saw dozens of police and EMS vehicles parked along Villard, as well as two smashed cars.
Witnesses tell us they heard at least five gunshots from inside a home.
Now, the Milwaukee Police Criminal Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation into the incident. Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office in the coming days.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
