The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed eleven felony charges against Anwar Maxwell, 24, for leading police on a high speed chase, t-boning a minivan crossing an intersection and pushing it into a stopped police car.
Maxwell is charged with the following:
1. Two counts of eluding an officer - great harm.
2. Two counts of 1st degree reckless injury.
3. Two counts of hit and run involving great bodily harm.
4. Eluding an officer - bodily harm or property damage.
5. 1st degree recklessly endangering safety.
6. Possessing a firearm - convicted of a felony.
7. Possession with the intent to sell cocaine.
8. Possession with the intent to sell heroin.
A criminal complaint shows Maxwell sped off in his car when they tried to pull him over for driving recklessly near 20th St. and Greenfield Ave. They say he sped up to about 60mph, and at the intersection of South Muskego Avenue and West Mitchell Street, Maxwell crashed into the side of the minivan, forcing it to crash into a stopped police car.
Officers say Maxwell jumped out of his car window and ran from the accident, but was caught about a block away on South Pearl Street.
First responders say the driver of the minivan was trapped inside the car and taken to Froedtert Hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The driver of the minivan was Ricardo Rios-Torres. We spoke with his daughter, Angelica, last week.
"We just want answers," she said.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the officers in the stopped police car suffered a broken wrist and another needed treatment for a large cut to the head. Another person was in already custody in the back of the police car — they also had minor injuries, according to the complaint.
TMJ4 found out this isn't Maxwell's first time running from police.
"This is every judge's worst nightmare," Criminal Defense Attorney Jonathan LaVoy said.
Court records show Maxwell was convicted for fleeing police in 2020, which is a felony.
He was sentenced to probation, with prison time attached if he violated that probation.
"Probation is often times considered for younger offenders with no prior record. So, that's not an uncommon sentence to occur," LaVoy explained.
Now, four years later and Maxwell finds himself in the same situation.
"Every once in a while, we see a situation like this where a person is given a chance and then later a much more severe situation occurs," LaVoy said. "There's probably nothing the judge could've done to prevent this, even if she would've given him the maximum possible penalty."
LaVoy said that if Maxwell is convicted, his sentencing will be nothing like his 2020 probation.
"Based on his history with his prior case and the bad facts of this case, that the state is going to be aggressively prosecuting this case, and I think the judge is going to be considering potentially very harsh penalties should he be convicted in court," LaVoy added.
TMJ4 did reach out to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office to comment on this case and didn't hear back.
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