Milwaukee police chase ends when fleeing driver crashes into cellphone store near 35th and Vliet

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee police chase ended with the fleeing driver crashing into a cellphone store near 35th and Vliet.

It happened just before 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25.

According to police, MPD officers attempted to stop a reckless vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when the suspect vehicle ran a red light and struck another vehicle and building near 35th and Vliet.

“If they’re gonna run, then we’re gonna have to catch them,” said Milwaukee Police Association's president Alex Ayala.

According to the 2024 City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Vehicle Pursuit Report, there were 957 pursuits in 2024, and 49% of the pursuits ended in an arrest. 

The car crashed into a Total Wireless cellphone store, leaving the store with damaged doors, windows, and interior space.

“They’re pursuing somebody for a reason and it’s not the pursuit policy that should be in question. It should be the actions of the suspect fleeing from the police,” said Ayala.

The suspect, a 19-year-old man, was arrested after an officer chased him on foot. The vehicle was determined to be stolen, and illegal narcotics were found inside, according to police.

A squad car involved in the pursuit was also struck by an unrelated vehicle on N. 35th St. and W. Wisconsin Avenue.

No injuries were reported in either crash.

“I mean they have the right to initiate a pursuit,” said Ayala.

In late 2017, Milwaukee police officers were given the clearance to start pursuits for reckless driving. 

Chases went up from 369 in 2017 to 940 in 2018. 

Ayala says despite the damage and concerns about police pursuits, he believes the MPD’s policy shouldn’t change.

“We can’t go backwards. We can’t have us have a no pursuit policy because then if people commit a crime, they know that all they have to do is get in a pursuit and they’re gonna be scot-free and we can’t have that,” said Ayala.

He says officers and their supervisors have the right to decide when to call off a pursuit and says incidents like this one are just part of the job.

In 2024, 32% of Milwaukee PD police pursuits ended in a crash. 

“I mean those are the inherent dangers we have to face on a nightly basis,” said Ayala.

Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.