MILWAUKEE — A drug investigation on Milwaukee's northwest side Wednesday afternoon ended with a suspect hospitalized in critical condition after he fled officers on foot, resisted arrest and is believed to have ingested illegal drugs during the incident.
Two Milwaukee Police Department supervisors and an FBI agent were also hospitalized after being exposed to an unknown substance.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said officers conducting a joint operation with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration were patrolling the area of N. 91st Street and W. Silver Spring Drive around 1:31 p.m. based on information about drug dealing. Officers spotted a vehicle connected to the investigation and followed it to N. 106th Street and W. Silver Spring Drive, where the driver fled on foot into a nearby residential area.
Watch: Drug suspect in critical condition after backyard arrest on Milwaukee’s Northwest side
Officers pursued the suspect on foot and located him in a narrow, fenced area next to a garage. The suspect resisted arrest and failed to comply with multiple commands from officers. A police dog was used to assist in the arrest, and the suspect may have been bitten, though police said they need more information to confirm that.
At some point before or during the arrest attempt, investigators believe the suspect ingested illegal drugs and lost consciousness. Officers administered life-saving measures, including Narcan.
The suspect, a 31-year-old man, was transported to a local hospital and is in critical condition.
"During the incident, two MPD office supervisors and FBI agent were exposed to unknown suspect substance and were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and release," Norman said.
Cristina Martinez, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was about to pick up one of her children from school when officers entered her backyard by the fence.
"I heard, like, 'put your hands in there, put your hands in the air,' I grabbed my toddler, and I was like, I put him in the car seat," Martinez said.
She said she hid in her garage and listened as the arrest was made right in her backyard.
"They were just, like, a lot of screaming, the I know the canine was barking, and it was just everything happened so fast," Martinez said.
Martinez said she watched the suspect being handcuffed before leaving her home.
"It's just terrifying. It's for me, it's just terrifying right now. I can't believe I still can't believe that it happened in my house," Martinez said.
Martinez said the incident was unlike anything she had experienced in more than a decade living in the neighborhood.
"Nothing like this has happened before," Martinez said.
Nearby resident Eric Schuerman said the incident raised questions about drug activity in the area.
"Is it something that's happening in this neighborhood? Is it something that came into this neighborhood? Because like I said we have always felt safe here," Schuerman said.
The four officers involved in the incident include a 34-year-old male with more than 7 years of service, a 30-year-old male with more than 7 years of service, a 27-year-old male with more than 9 years of service, and a 35-year-old male with more than 9 years of service. All four have been placed on administrative duty, which is routine in officer-involved incidents.
Norman said investigators do not know whether the suspect lives in the area. The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team is investigating the incident. The Greenfield Police Department is the lead investigating agency. The investigation is ongoing.
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