Dashcam video: Suspect led Wauwatosa police on 9-mile, 90+ mph pursuit



Phoumanivong Keophiphath



WAUWATOSA -- A nine-mile pursuit through two cities leaves one man behind bars. Police said not only for why it started but also what they found.

Police said the suspect was up to no good for many reasons. The pursuit started in Wauwatosa and here in Milwaukee near 84th and Townsend on the city's north side. The car had deflated tires and was pushed up against a curb before the driver was taken into custody.

Every police officer in Wauwatosa goes through training to deal with drivers, but on Feb. 25 near 124th and Congress, it was instinct that prompted Wauwatosa Police Officer Evan Olson to take off.

Evan Olson



"The fact that they almost struck my squad while trying to get him safely off the road elevated things a bit," Olson said.

Police said the suspect, Phoumanivong Keophiphath, didn't let up -- reaching speeds over 90 miles per hour on the freeway -- before trying to get away yet again. That's when officer Tony San Felippo was waiting.

"Got behind it, went through the alleyway, I could see the driver side door was opening. I knew he was going to foot bail at that point," San Felippo said.





A stolen vehicle with ammunition, shaved-down car keys, drugs and ski masks and a 40-year-old suspect who wasn't on the run for long.

Tony San Felippo



"Stopped my squad and ran after him and gave pursuit on foot and caught him," said San Felippo. "Evan (Olson) was there right behind me."

It was a team effort to stop the seven-minute, nine-mile pursuit.

"You do it because you want to help people, and you want to stop crime and you want to stop bad things from happening to good people," San Felippo said.

The defendant was in trouble in the first place; he had a warrant out for his arrest since September 2018. No one was hurt in the pursuit. Wauwatosa police said communication among officers led to a positive outcome, considering how long and fast the pursuit was.