"Don't celebrate with firearms:" Police make significant arrests, recover guns, drugs to start 2018

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee police say officers from District 5 (at 4th and Locust) made several significant arrests and recovered guns and drugs as 2017 came to a close on Sunday, December 31st.

Capt. Timothy Heier

"District 5 officers and the Milwaukee Police Department officers throughout the city strive to make the city safe," said Capt. Timothy Heier.

Heier said one way this happens is the recovery of guns from felons -- and getting drugs off the streets.

Officials say around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, officers conducted a field interview with occupants of a car in the neighborhood near Teutonia and Center. While talking with the passenger of the vehicle, officers saw a rifle magazine and rifle. The passenger did not possess a CCW license and both the passenger, a 52-year-old man and the driver, a 28-year-old man, were determined to be convicted felons.

Gun recovered near Teutonia and Center, Milwaukee

Both were taken into custody and charges will be presented to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.

Around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to a crash scene in District 5. Officials say the driver of the striking vehicle fled on foot but an 18-year-old female remained in the car.  Inside the car, a 2006 Lexus, officers found more than 300 grams of marijuana, a handgun and more than $3,500 in cash.

Gun recovered from car after crash in District 5

Drugs recovered from car after crash in District 5

The 18-year-old was taken into custody and charges will be presented to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.

Lastly, officials say officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just south of 14th and Keefe shortly before 1:00 a.m. on Monday, January 1st.

"There were six individuals in an alley. One of the individuals ran from the scene and discarded a handgun as he ran," Capt. Heier said.

One of the officers ran after the 22-year-old man and took him into custody. The man had a gun on him at the time of the arrest. Officers also recovered two additional guns at the scene.

Guns recovered after incident near 14th and Keefe in Milwaukee

Officials say in District 5 alone, officers recovered 610 guns in 2017. That is roughly 22 percent of all the guns recovered in the entire city.

There was plenty of gunfire on New Year's Eve  -- mostly people ringing in the new year. Milwaukee police had this to say about that.

"Don't celebrate with firearms. With our ShotSpotter technology, we are on the scene faster," Heier said.