MILWAUKEE — Another Milwaukee family is grieving after a 47-year-old man died in a crash at the intersection of 20th Street and North Avenue over the weekend.
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) says it was caused by the reckless behavior of kids who were in a stolen car. The five teenagers in custody are all either 13, 14, or 15 years old. They were all taken to the hospital, and are expected to make full recoveries.
VIOLENT WEEKEND IN MILWAUKEE:
- 1 killed in triple shooting near Sherman and Hope, police say
- 1 man killed, 5 teens arrested following pursuit, crash
- 15-year-old boy killed in shooting near 9th and Atkinson
- 44-year-old man killed near McKinley and Vliet
According to investigators, officers began chasing the stolen vehicle around 7:22 p.m. Sunday. The pursuit started near 11th and Center.
WATCH: Footage shows police chase before deadly crash
The suspects in the stolen vehicle then collided with a vehicle. Inside that car was a passenger, a 47-year-old man, who was killed on impact. The driver of the victim's vehicle was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
According to GoFundMe, the victim killed was Marquis Hacket. A fundraiser has been created for his family, with a goal of $10,000. The fundraiser page says Hacket left behind three kids, his mother, brother, sister, and other family and friends.
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe page.
A firearm was found in the suspect's vehicle, according to Milwaukee police.
TMJ4 asked Mayor Cavalier Johnson if the prevalence of reckless driving and police chases - and innocent people getting caught in the middle - makes him question MPD's chase policy.
"I don't want to see anyone get hurt on our roads," Mayor Johnson said. "When I was an alderman years ago and the police pursuit policy was very limited, I remember having meaningful conversations with police officers. They told me that people would pull up to their squad car, flip them off, then run a red light in front of them, knowing officers couldn't chase them unless they were wanted for a violent felony. We need officers to have the tools necessary to apprehend people doing bad things in our city."
According to police, the teen boys in the stolen car are responsible for an armed robbery near 6th and Clarke, which happened just a few hours before the crash Sunday. Police say the robbery doesn't appear to be related to any other robberies over the weekend.
MPD says criminal charges will be referred to the district attorney's office.
On the same corner where the crash occurred sits Bethel Baptist Church. In the basement is the non-profit organization Neu-Life Community Development, which hosts an after-school program for teenagers. Many of the young people they serve are the same age as the teens involved in the crash outside its doors.
"It's sad because it seems the people involved in crimes are getting younger and younger," said Jalen Ralls-Franklin, who helps run Neu-Life. "Through workforce development and positive learning activities, we try to teach the kids there's something else beyond these streets and the violence that they see. That they can be something more. Something better."
Neu-Life has a wait list for kids wanting to join the program but only has so much funding.
"Ideally, Milwaukee would have more sites like this around Milwaukee to reach everyone," Ralls-Franklin said. "Safe spaces kids can go on every corner. Because it really does start with the kids. If we want to make any real change in our city, it starts with them."
