A Milwaukee man is facing a long list of felony charges after an April 1 high-speed chase on I-43 ended with a Milwaukee police squad car rolling over and two officers injured. Prosecutors also allege the same suspect is tied to a March 29 shooting that left a man with a shattered kneecap, leading to criminal complaints that stack drug and multiple fleeing counts on top of one another.
On April 6, prosecutors filed two criminal complaints charging 24-year-old Ashanti Travers Jr. with 10 counts stemming from the April 1 pursuit. The counts include fleeing or eluding an officer causing bodily harm, fleeing causing property damage, three counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, possession with intent to deliver more than 1,000 grams of THC, two counts of felony bail jumping and obstructing an officer as a repeater. Investigators say Travers threw a duffel bag out during the chase that contained about 1,103 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and cash. If convicted on all counts, prosecutors say he faces more than 90 years in prison and over $200,000 in fines, according to FOX6 News.
How the Pursuit Unfolded
Milwaukee police say officers first spotted a black Nissan Rogue near Teutonia and Congress on April 1 and tried to pull it over. Instead of stopping, the driver allegedly hit the gas and led officers on a roughly 13-minute chase that topped 110 mph, according to the department’s summary of events.
Officers eventually deployed stop sticks and brought the vehicle to a halt near 6th and Concordia. During the pursuit, one squad car collided with another vehicle and rolled onto its side. Two officers were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Spectrum News reported.
Evidence and the March 29 Shooting
Prosecutors say the black Nissan Rogue was not just a getaway car in a wild freeway chase. Surveillance footage and rental car records allegedly tie the same vehicle to a March 29 shooting near 82nd and Brown Deer Road, where a man was hit in the knee and needed surgery.
After Travers was arrested, investigators searched his residence. According to the complaint, they found clothing and receipts that matched items seen in surveillance images from cameras near the shooting scene. Those details, along with the vehicle-pursuit allegations, are laid out in court records and reporting by FOX6 News.
Legal Exposure and Next Steps
Court records show Travers has previous drug convictions and was out on bond with open felony cases when the March 29 and April 1 incidents allegedly occurred. Because he is charged as a habitual criminal repeater, some of the current counts could bring enhanced penalties if he is convicted.
Travers made his initial court appearance on April 6 and remains in custody while the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office weighs its next moves in the case.
Milwaukee police and the district attorney have not released additional information about a possible motive or whether others may have been involved. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the March 29 shooting or the April 1 pursuit to contact Milwaukee police.
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