MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman was charged Tuesday after prosecutors say she was involved in a hit-and-run, a chase, and a crash, all while she had five children in her car last week.
Latayja Hargraves, 24, is facing a total of 11 charges, including five counts of neglecting a child, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, fleeing from police, and criminal property damage.
According to a criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded to a home near 36th and Florist around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22 for an entry complaint.
A man told police Hargraves, who had recently been dating his son, arrived at his home and was banging on his door, yelling to let her in. When he refused, he found Hargraves breaking his car windows with "some kind of metal object," the complaint says.
When the man tried to make her stop, she began striking him in the face and body with the metal object. As the two tussled, the complaint says children were yelling, "Don't touch my mama!"
At this point, police arrived on the scene and saw a driver, later identified as Hargraves, speed over a curb onto the lawn and strike the man. The man was airborne before he landed on the hood of the vehicle. The complaint says Hargraves then reversed back into the street, and the man fell to the ground.
Police attempted to pull Hargraves over, but she sped off. During the police pursuit, Hargraves blew several stop signs and a red light. In the process, the complaint says she struck two vehicles at an intersection. Her vehicle and the other two cars were all totaled. A traffic light pole was torn out of the ground as a result.
Hargraves was arrested and "appeared to be intoxicated," the complaint says.
Inside the vehicle, police discovered Hargraves' five children crying. The children, ranging from ages two to nine years old, were all unbuckled. Only one child was injured.
Hargraves is being held on a $20,000 bond and returns to court on July 5 for a preliminary hearing. If convicted of all charges, she faces a maximum of over 90 years in prison and a $200,000 fine.
The complaint says in 2020, Hargraves was convicted of driving a vehicle without the owner's consent, a felony.
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