"Another life lost for what?" Armed bank robbery suspect runs after causing fatal crash
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A chain of events occurring Tuesday, April 28th led to an innocent man losing his life. Police say a suspect was speeding away from a crime scene when he blew a stop sign and slammed into another vehicle, killing the driver. The crash happened near 53rd and Center Tuesday afternoon.
Police say four vehicles in total were struck as the suspect was trying to get away.
US Bank robbery 52nd & North
Officials say the incident began at about 11:30 a.m, when police were called to a report of an armed robbery at the US Bank at 52nd and North Ave. A 25-year-old Milwaukee man reported to a teller that he was being robbed by an armed suspect in the parking lot.
Police say the suspect then fled from the robbery in a car headed northbound on 53rd Street. When he reached Center Street, police say he crashed into a westbound vehicle driven by a 54-year-old Milwaukee man. The 54-year-old man's vehicle careened into a building. The innocent driver died at the scene of the crash.
"I seen a car come down the street -- 70, 80 miles-an-hour and he went through the stop sign and he crossed over Center," Mattie Birdsong said.
"It's sad when a tragedy happened like this. Another life lost for what? Nonsense," June Whitehead said.
Sirens blared and police yelled for people to get down as they searched for the armed robbery suspect.
The suspect dropped a loaded semi-automatic handgun as he ran from the car -- and failed in an attempt to get into the car of a passerby. The suspect, identified as a 22-year-old Milwaukee man, then ran into a nearby apartment building where he was arrested by responding officers.
"Must have been a dozen cops and dogs chasing him down the alley over there," a witness said.
"They had their guns and everything drawn looking for him," Birdsong said.
FOX6 News has learned an officer who had responded to the bank, trying to catch up with the suspect came up on the crash at 53rd and Center. His squad was struck by another vehicle as he came to a stop. The officer and the female driver of the car that hit his squad were taken to the hospital, but they are expected to be okay.
"My sympathy goes out to the person's family whose car got split in half. That person shouldn`t have to lose their life like that," Whitehead said.
53rd & Center crash
Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.