Police took a 22-year-old into custody Wednesday after a report of a shot fired along Plankinton Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, briefly turning a busy nightlife corridor into a police scene. Witnesses said officers detained the man in the middle of the street and watched as the response unfolded. No one was injured, and traffic near the intersection was briefly halted while investigators worked.
Officers arrested the suspect in the middle of Plankinton Avenue just outside Mo's A Place for Steaks and recovered what police described as a fully automatic gun, with criminal charges pending, according to WTMJ. The outlet reports that a single shot was fired earlier in the downtown area before officers converged on the scene. Bystanders recorded parts of the response on their phones as officers secured the area.
"No one was struck," Milwaukee police told WTMJ, adding that officers recovered the weapon at or near the scene. Adam Roberts, a WTMJ reporter who was among the witnesses, described a heavy police presence at the intersection of Plankinton and Wisconsin Avenue as the arrest unfolded.
Where it happened
Mo's A Place for Steaks is located at 720 N. Plankinton Ave., placing the arrest site near a cluster of downtown restaurants, theaters and office buildings. The restaurant lists that address on its official site, Mo's A Place for Steaks. That stretch of Plankinton often draws pre-show crowds on weeknights and during events, which made the sudden surge of squad cars all the more jarring.
Police investigation
The Milwaukee Police Department says the investigation is ongoing and that criminal charges are pending as detectives continue to sort the facts of the case. The department had not released the suspect's name or charging documents as of Wednesday night.
