Police seeking driver who crashed and fled near 61st and Lapham



WEST ALLIS (WITI) -- A high speed police chase on Wednesday morning, September 25th led officers into a West Allis neighborhood, where they located the car, but not the driver! The car ended up rolling into someone's front porch, and the whole thing was caught on camera.

According to authorities, an officer stopped an SUV for excessive speed and lane deviation on westbound Greenfield Avenue from Miller Park Way around 1:41 a.m.

Police say the motorist pulled over in the 5800 block of Greenfield Avenue, and the officer made contact with the driver. During that time, the driver fled the scene at a high-rate of speed.

Officers attempted to catch up to the vehicle, but lost sight of it after the driver turned west on W. Lapham Street. Shortly after, the officer spotted the vehicle on the front yard of a home near 61st and Lapham.

Chris Gadbois witnessed the crash as he was getting home from the store just before 2:00 a.m.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, has security cameras around his home, and the cameras caught the whole thing!

As the car is still in gear, the camera shows a man get out of the car and take off down the alley, as West Milwaukee and West Allis police officers just missed catching him.

The man's car ended up colliding with the railing of a home.

Some neighbors believe the driver was injured and/or intoxicated.

"There's just a lot of liquor bottles. When police were here they were pulling probably five or six liquor bottles out of the car," Gadbois said.

On Wednesday afternoon, there was still evidence of the crash near 61st and Lapham, including tire marks on the road and grass, and a bent railing.

"It's getting ridiculous around here with drunk drivers. You see a lot of crashes," Gadbois said.

Gadbois is hoping police will find the man who damaged his neighbor's porch and ran off with his car still running.

Police say the driver is a 28-year-old man with a lengthy driving record and criminal history. Police say he is still on the loose.