By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A 26-year-old Wisconsin man led Wauwatosa police on multiple pursuits, stole an unoccupied police cruiser and injured four officers, officials said.
• The crash spree began after officers at Mayfair Mall tried to stop him driving a minivan linked to earlier incidents.
• After stealing a squad car, the suspect struck officers and another patrol vehicle before a second pursuit ended in Brookfield.
• Officers and the suspect were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries; the suspect was taken into custody.
WAUWATOSA, WI — A 26-year-old man with multiple outstanding warrants led Wauwatosa police on two vehicle pursuits, stole a marked police cruiser and injured four officers during the chaotic Tuesday incident, officials said.
Police first spotted the suspect in a white minivan near Mayfair Mall after mall security had asked him to leave; he fled when an officer tried to stop him, prompting an initial pursuit through city streets.
Officers later attempted to contain the minivan on North 116th Street, but the suspect fled on foot toward an unoccupied police squad car, entered it, backed it into officers and struck another squad vehicle before driving off.
A second pursuit followed as the stolen cruiser was driven west into Brookfield, with the incident ending after the suspect crashed into another Wauwatosa patrol car and fled on foot. He was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.
All four officers were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said; the suspect was reported uninjured but was taken to a hospital as a precaution before booking.
The suspect faces multiple felony and misdemeanor warrants from the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office and a municipal warrant from West Allis, the department said.