A Milwaukee police pursuit tied to a narcotics investigation ended in a deadly crash Monday afternoon near North 30th and West Center streets, killing a passenger in the vehicle that was struck. The chase began shortly after 2:30 p.m. when officers tried to stop a vehicle wanted in a narcotics investigation near North 22nd Street and West McKinley Avenue, and it ended minutes later several blocks away with two vehicles colliding.
According to CBS 58, the driver of the wanted vehicle fled rather than stop, prompting the pursuit that ultimately ended when the suspect vehicle crashed with another vehicle near North 30th and West Center Street. The passenger of the vehicle that was struck was pronounced dead at the scene, while the vehicle's 28-year-old driver was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.
The 40-year-old man driving the fleeing vehicle and his 36-year-old female passenger were both taken into custody after the crash and treated for non-fatal injuries, the station's report states. FOX6 News Milwaukee reports that the Milwaukee Police Department sent crash details to local outlets and that crews responded to the scene as investigators worked to piece together what happened.
Charges Still Under Review as Investigation Continues
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office will review potential criminal charges in connection with the crash, per the same account from CBS 58, though no charges have been announced. Police have not released the identity of the person who died, and the investigation into the chase remains ongoing.
Monday's crash adds to a troubling tally for Milwaukee, where pursuit-related deaths have mounted in recent years. Nine people died in pursuit-related crashes across the city in 2025, including six third parties who had no connection to the chases themselves, according to Wisconsin Law Journal. That outlet also notes that pursuits citywide jumped 277% and pursuit-related crashes rose 242% between 2013 and 2016, based on Fire and Police Commission data.
Policy Changes Have Not Stopped the Crashes
Milwaukee expanded its pursuit policy in 2017, and the following year chases spiked 155%, from 369 to 940, according to Wisconsin Watch. By 2024, the department logged 957 pursuits in a single year, with just under one-third ending in a crash, the nonprofit newsroom reports. In January, the city revised its policy again to eliminate speeding alone as justification for a chase, per Wisconsin Law Journal, though Monday's deadly outcome shows the risks have not disappeared.
Wisconsin Watch's reporting also recounts the death of Pler Moo and her two sons, Moo Nay Taw and Kar Lah Kri Moo, who were killed last September when their car was struck by a vehicle fleeing Milwaukee police, with two other children in the car seriously injured. That same reporting counted five deaths tied to Milwaukee police pursuit crashes since July of last year, including El Moctar Sidiya and Hasan Harris. A separate 2024 crash lawsuit against the city remains active, with both sides now moving toward depositions, Wisconsin Law Journal reports.
The pattern is not confined to Milwaukee. Over half of pursuits by the Monona Police Department exceeded 100 miles per hour and 42 ended in crashes between 2021 and 2025, according to the Capital Times. The Madison-area paper found Monona's 20-officer force logged 220 pursuits since 2021, compared with 78 for the much larger Madison Police Department over the same span.
No further details about the condition of the injured driver or the two people in custody have been released. Police have not disclosed the exact speed of the fleeing vehicle or additional specifics about how the chase unfolded before the crash, and the investigation continues.
