Dash cam video: Police pursuit from Wauwatosa to Milwaukee hits speeds approaching 100 m.p.h.
WAUWATOSA -- A man fleeing Wauwatosa police hits nearly 100 miles an hour -- and later drives down a sidewalk to try to get away. The guy got caught -- and police say afterward, he did not have much to say but told officers he knew he was going to prison.
On Wednesday afternoon, police were in the middle of a pursuit following a car from Wauwatosa into Milwaukee. Officials say the chase hit 97 miles an hour just west of Hampton Avenue.
Lucas Byrd
Officers knew the car they were after was stolen. What they did not know is the driver, 40-year-old Lucas Byrd, was wanted for violating probation. That could explain why he was so desperate to get away.
The pursuit wound through a neighborhood before Byrd turned into a parking lot at 107th and Hampton. Dash cam video shows how he drove down a sidewalk in front of apartment buildings before coming to a quick stop.
Officers got their man a few minutes later.
"We got a perimeter, set up the yards, and were able to take him into custody," said Wauwatosa Police Lt. Brian Zalewski.
Byrd is now in jail for violating his probation and now faces a handful of new charges -- including operating without owner's consent, operating on a revoked license and eluding an officer.
"Most of that has to do with his driving, and his choice to drive down a sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon," Zalewski said.
Zalewski said officers had to make several quick decisions -- including whether keeping up the chase was putting other people in danger. He said that is why the officer did not pursue the car down the sidewalk.
Thankfully, after a two-and-a-half mile pursuit, nobody was hurt.
Byrd has spent time in prison for similar cases. According to court records, in 2012 Byrd was sentenced to four years in prison for a case of recklessly endangering safety -- and another case of fleeing and eluding an officer. The Department of Corrections website shows he was just released May 17th of this year.