SUMMIT — The Waukesha Sheriff's Department has identified the 41-year-old killed following a vehicle pursuit and armed confrontation with deputies Thursday as Nathan Poulakos.
A 41-year-old man is dead after an armed confrontation with Waukesha County Sheriff's deputies following a vehicle pursuit in the village of Summit on March 19.
The incident began at 9:12 a.m. when deputies were notified of a pursuit entering Waukesha County from Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office terminated its involvement at the county line.
Waukesha County deputies then obtained information that the driver possibly had felony warrants for his arrest. Deputies located the suspect's vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled, initiating a second pursuit.
Watch: Authorities provide update after Waukesha County sheriff's deputies fatally shoot suspect
The suspect's vehicle eventually became disabled in a farm field in the area of Highway 67, north of Highway 18.
An armed male suspect exited the vehicle and displayed a handgun. Deputies fired their weapons in response.
"We believe in fearing for their lives, deputies responded by using deadly force," Sheriff Eric Severson said.
Emergency medical assistance was provided, but the 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun was located in close proximity to the suspect.
No deputies were injured during the incident. Two deputies were involved in the shooting; one is a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, and the other has five years of experience.
The Walworth County Sheriff's Office is leading an independent investigation into the shooting. The Wisconsin State Patrol is assisting with crime scene documentation and reconstruction, and the Wisconsin Crime Lab is handling physical evidence.
Officials confirmed there are no other suspects involved.
"We feel that the community is under no danger as a result of this particular incident," Severson said.
The name of the deceased suspect is being withheld pending family notification.
911 caller follows reckless driver before fatal Waukesha County chase
A reckless driving incident in Jefferson County escalated into a police pursuit that ended with a suspect being shot and killed after a second chase. TMJ4 spoke with the 911 caller who followed the driver for several miles to help police locate the suspect.
Bill Werning was driving to work Thursday morning through rural Jefferson County when a driver tailgated and swerved around him. The reckless driving was so severe that he felt the need to call 911.
"The way he was driving, literally almost hitting the guardrail on the bridges and stuff, I figured there was definitely something wrong. And obviously he needed to be found or caught, you know?" Werning said.
Werning stayed on the phone with dispatchers as he followed the driver from county highways to downtown Fort Atkinson.
"It wasn't that I wanted to, I was just trying to help them," Werning said.
Werning pointed police to the suspect's vehicle, which was parked between cars in a Fort Atkinson lot.
"He looked like he was going back around, and then the county sheriff pulled in, and that guy just put it in reverse and turned and went out," Werning said.
Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies chased after the suspect, who was driving a gold-ish Jeep Cherokee eastbound on Highway CI at Rodgers Road. Deputies ended their pursuit when they hit the Waukesha County line.
Werning could not believe it when he learned the driver was shot and killed after a second chase.
"It's unfortunate what all transpired, but it's crazy. I never thought he would get back to that part of Waukesha County as quick as he did, where we were at in Fort Atkinson," Werning said.
Fort Atkinson police were at the parking lot Thursday afternoon searching for surveillance video to piece the investigation together. TMJ4 reached out to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for more information on their chase, but has yet to hear back.
Neighbors and farmer react to chase and shooting ending on a Summit farm
Waukesha County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man after he fled from police and displayed a handgun on a farm off Highway 67 in the Town of Summit. The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office said deputies located an SUV that had run from Jefferson County deputies earlier that morning. Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled, initiating a pursuit.
During the chase, the SUV drove onto an 80-year-old farmer's property. The suspect's vehicle stopped in a field. Police said an armed male suspect exited the vehicle and displayed a handgun. Deputies then shot and killed the 41-year-old man.
Otto Jones, who lives next door, said he was jolted awake around 9:15 a.m. by the incident.
"I wasn’t awake yet, and all of a sudden you hear gunshots," Jones said. "And usually around here when you hear gunshots it is hunting, but no hunting season is open right now so I knew something was up."
When Jones went outside to look, he was shocked to see police at his neighbor’s farm.
"You can see the car," Jones said, pointing it out through the trees.
Maddie Wolf, another neighbor who lives down the street, also felt like something was wrong.
"I thought for a moment, 'was there a massive fire? '" Wolf said. "The amount of police that’s insane. That is not the norm by any means."
Dan Nettesheim, the 80-year-old farmer whose property the chase ended on, talked to TMJ4 News over the phone. The investigation was going on outside his house.
"Heard all kinds of squads out by the road and seen them going down the driveway," Nettesheim said.
Nettesheim said he didn’t hear or see anything until it was over, but he was not surprised the vehicle stopped in the field.
"That was clunking away on the cars pretty good, the corn stalks," Nettesheim said.
Police asked Nettesheim to stay inside while they investigated. He said he had no idea why the suspect chose to drive onto his farm.
"Just weird that they ended up in our yard," Nettesheim said.
"You don’t think about these things about how crazy and scary they can be until they happen almost in your backyard," Jones said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
