Arraignment set for Kunle Famakinwa, accused of striking pedestrians as Strawberry Fest was ending

Kunle Famakinwa Jr.



A 37-year-old Milwaukee man, facing three felony charges and one misdemeanor charge after allegedly striking two pedestrians with his vehicle as Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg was wrapping up on June 26th appeared in court Wednesday, August 10th for his preliminary hearing.

Kunle Famakinwa Jr. is facing the following charges:


    In court on Wednesday, probable cause was found for further proceedings in this case. The court was informed lab reports have not been returned, and an arraignment was scheduled for September 22nd.



    The crash happened around 5:00 p.m. on June 26th -- as the Strawberry Festival was coming to an end, and people were walking to their vehicles.

    Police say Famakinwa was headed northbound on Washington Avenue, and turned onto Western Road, where he crossed the center line -- striking a silver vehicle that was found with damage to its front passenger side.

    His vehicle, a white pickup truck, then went over the curb, and struck two pedestrians on the sidewalk.

    The two victims, a 65-year-old woman and a 38-year-old woman, both from Milwaukee, suffered serious injuries. One of them suffered a broken rib, and the other sustained multiple broken ribs and a fractured neck vertebrae.



    According to a criminal complaint, a sergeant on scene noted that a police officer and an off-duty officer were holding the wrist of Famakinwa near his truck. One officer noted that he could smell an odor of marijuana within Famakinwa's vehicle.

    Prosecutors say Famakinwa refused to exit his vehicle and was physically resisting officers -- bracing his feet on the floorboards in an effort to lock himself inside. Famakinwa had to be physically pulled from the driver's seat onto the lawn, where he continued to struggle with officers as they attempted to place him in handcuffs.

    The complaint says Famakinwa began complaining that he was diabetic. Rescue personnel attended to Famakinwa, who discovered his blood sugar level was low. Oral glucose was administered, but each time, Famakinwa would spit it out, according to the complaint.

    The complaint says Famakinwa refused to enter a squad car -- at one point bracing himself up into the seat and launching himself backwards against the officers -- forcing both of them out of the squad.

    At this point, prosecutors say Famakinwa became more aggressive -- shouting accusations that he was being treated in a racially hostile manner as he was black and the officers were white.

    A sedative was administered, along with an injection for Famakinwa's low blood sugar. He was then placed on a gurney and taken to the hospital, where blood was drawn.

    A search of Famakinwa's vehicle revealed marijuana -- in a large glass jar and in a small baggie.

    A witness captured the aftermath of this incident on his cell phone.

    "I heard a loud crash.  I saw at least two women flying through the air," the witness said. "The one woman was screaming. The other woman wasn`t even moving.  She looked like she was in bad shape."

    A portion of Western Road, between Washington and Hanover was shut down for three hours while the investigation was underway.



    It was an upsetting end to what was a fun weekend for many -- enjoying strawberry-themed treats at the popular Strawberry Festival.

    "Very sad that two people are injured, that`s for sure.  It`s unfortunate that someone feels they are able to drive under the influence -- and then you add 100,000 people walking around, streets are closed. You have one-ways, and people who maybe just aren`t used to the area," Holly Gonwa said.