A high-speed chase in Milwaukee ended dramatically Monday night when a suspected vehicle thief crashed into a pole after attempting to evade police. The 23-year-old male driver, who has not been named, was arrested following a pursuit that began around 11:20 p.m. near 6th and Mineral streets after a failed traffic stop, according to FOX6 News.
The chase concluded when the driver, operating a stolen car, lost control and collided with a pole near 13th Street and Wells Street. After the incident, discovered with illegal drugs, the man was transported to the hospital to treat non-fatal injuries incurred during the crash, as reported by a TMJ4 News viewer.
The wreck, which occurred in proximity to Marquette University, was so severe it split the vehicle in half. Marquette University officials confirmed that the Milwaukee Police Department were in pursuit of the vehicle just before it crashed. Photos sent by Armando Gandarilla to TMJ4 News depict a chaotic aftermath.
An eyewitness and Marquette student, Evelyn Heiland, living nearby described feeling the impact of the crash from her dorm room. "They were on a stretcher. They were fully sitting up," Heiland reported to WISN 12 News, referring to the driver. "I saw him wrapped in bandages. He looked pretty young, maybe even like my age. He was conscious and he just kept repeating like, 'Oh my God, what happened?' And the paramedics were like, 'You got in a crash.' He's like, 'Oh my goodness, how did that happen?'"
Criminal charges against the driver are being prepared for referral to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. As of now, Milwaukee Police Department have not provided an update on the driver's condition or the specific reasons behind the vehicle chase which led to driving a stolen car into a pedestrian crosswalk regularly busy with Marquette students.
