MILWAUKEE -- Five juveniles, including a 12 year old, managed to walk away from a serious accident Tuesday night following a police chase.
Wauwatosa Police said officers were trying to stop a stolen Jeep tied to an armed carjacking when it crashed west of the Marquette University campus downtown about 10:30 p.m.
Officers were in the area of Hi-Mount Boulevard and Lloyd Street on a separate investigation when they spotted the jeep. It was stolen in an armed carjacking over the weekend in Milwaukee.
When the Jeep didn't stop for marked cars, Wauwatosa police officers pursued. The chase lasted about 10 minutes, reaching speeds of close to 70 miles an hour on city streets. Eventually, the stolen Jeep crashed into two other cars near 25th Street and Wells Street.
Everyone involved received only minor injuries, including two innocent civilians in a separate car.
"I was surprised cause it was bad accident," said Eddie Walls, who lives right where the accident happened. He said he came outside when he heard sirens.
"We looked down the street, the car is just flipped over completely," he said. "Looked like an inside out soda can."
He and other witnesses said they couldn't believe how young the suspects were.
"Just stop doing that, just be safe, be at home at that time of night," Walls said.
Wauwatosa police said the officers involved are part of the Suburban Violent Crimes Task Force, made up of six other police agencies, including West Allis, Greenfield, Franklin, Glendale, Brookfield and Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
The task force is "aggressively targeting criminals, and those assisting them, who are committing violent crimes including auto thefts and carjackings, armed robberies, burglaries and other weapons offenses. All of the agencies involved are working cooperatively to keep our communities safe," according to a news release.
Wauwatosa police said in two months time, this task force has directly resulted in more than two dozen arrests. It has also taken guns and drugs off the streets and recovered several stolen vehicles.
The department also says state law provides countywide jurisdiction and arrest authority to Milwaukee County police agencies.
