"I was in shock:" Potentially dangerous chemicals found in West Allis duplex; no one hurt



WEST ALLIS -- West Allis police officers were called out to a residence near 68th and Mitchell just after midnight Monday, September 21st for a report of suspicious activity in a vacant unit of a duplex.

Upon arrival,  officers found several people in the vacant unit. During that time, officers detected a smell of chemicals in the residence and possible precursor chemicals used to manufacture synthetic drugs were inside the premises.

"It's a shame. It's pretty crazy actually," Emery Vongulner said.

Vongulner watched the commotion from his porch nearby.

"I was in shock. I've never seen anyone in that apartment or building," Vongulner said.



Officers removed the individuals from the residence and secured the area around the residence.

The West Allis Fire Department and the Milwaukee Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit responded to the scene.

After the scene was assessed by MFD’s Unit, the West Allis Police Department requested assistance from the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for the removal and proper disposal of the possible chemicals.

No one was injured as the result of this incident. At this time, there is no known danger to the general public.

"I'm really surprised," Jennifer Brown said.

Brown was taking her nephews for a walk when then ran into barricades on their normal route.

"Still in shock about it. It`s not a good thing," Brown said.

Brown says the thought of a possible meth house in the neighborhood never crossed her mind.

"I`ve never even seen or heard of anybody having meth in this area. That`s like a foreign word for our area. We do not want any of that. No. Absolutely not. It`s scary," Brown said.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Officers and detectives of the West Allis Police Department are currently looking into all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.

Agencies involved in this incident were the West Allis Police Department, U.S. DEA, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Milwaukee Fire Department and the West Allis Fire Department.