Milwaukee man charged with felony, accused of running down LaCage Nightclub owner with Lime scooter
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man is charged with a felony after allegedly hitting a pedestrian with a Lime scooter on Tuesday. The victim is now in the hospital with serious injuries.
In a split second, an evening out in downtown Milwaukee, near MLK and State Street, turned into a trip to the hospital for LaCage Nightclub owner Dave Wolz.
"The video is horrific," said Alderman Bob Bauman, who represents the east side. "It’s horrendous. I can’t even imagine the injuries he’s suffering, and for what? To be hit by a scooter? How ridiculous is that?”
Surveillance video captured by the Milwaukee Brat House shows the moment a Lime scooter rider, now identified by police as 20-year-old Jonpierre Cherry, barrels down the sidewalk and slams into Wolz.
"Just a really good guy, and it’s hard seeing him go through all of this," said Joseph Conforti, the general manager of the Milwaukee Brat House.
Friends of Wolz say while he’s in good spirits, he has multiple injuries and will need a spinal fusion.
"Back being fused together, and with broken ankles and concussions and head lacerations. Because of a scooter. The absurdity of it all. It’s crushing," said Bauman.
In the criminal complaint, police say Cherry told investigators he knew scooters weren’t allowed on the sidewalk. Cherry is now charged with felony second degree reckless injury.
"I've almost been taken out, my staff has almost been taken out walking out with trays of food or trays of drinks," said Conforti.
Last year, the City Of Milwaukee reported 1.29 million trips were taken around the city using Lime scooters. The city made nearly $730,000 in revenue from the scooters, but Ald. Bauman says the priority is public safety. Bauman says he plans on introducing a file regarding these Lime scooters in front of the Public Safety Committee next Tuesday.
"In the short-run, we need to have a contractor, a scooter provider, that can guarantee no more sidewalk riding," said Bauman.