27th and Locust crash; Milwaukee man charged in fatal wreck

MILWAUKEE - A 25-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of fleeing from police and later causing a crash at 27th and Locust that killed one person and injured several others on Friday, May 3. The accused is Jaquon Benson – and he faces the following criminal counts:

First-degree reckless homicide
Knowingly operate motor vehicle without a valid license-cause death
First-degree reckless injury (three counts)
First-degree recklessly endangering safety
Possession of a machine gun

Jaquon Benson

According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee police officer in a marked squad was near 26th and Center when he spotted a car disregard a red traffic light while traveling west on Center. The officer then began to follow the car and conduct a Department of Transportation check on the vehicle.

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At one point, the car was stopped at a stop sign and the squad was able to get close. The driver in the car then "darted out into the intersection, cutting off flowing traffic on N. 27th St., and made a left turn to begin traveling northbound at a high rate of speed," the complaint says. As the car approached the intersection of 27th and Locust, the complaint says "it maneuvered into the southbound lane of traffic to pass 5 vehicles that were waiting in the northbound lane at a red light," the complaint says. The car proceeded through a red traffic light and struck minivan, "flipping the van onto its side" and into an SUV that was stopped at the traffic signal. The driver in the car then got out and ran from the vehicle, the complaint says. The officer was able to catch the driver and take him into custody. He was identified as the defendant, Jaquon Benson.

Fatal crash at 27th and Locust

One person died and three others were hurt in the collision at 27th and Locust.

When police searched the car that Benson had been driving, the complaint says they "located a Glock 17 9mm handgun with a switch on it, which is a modification that causes the handgun to be able to be fired as a fully automatic weapon."

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A review of the defendant's Wisconsin Department of Transportation records showed Benson did not have a valid driver's license.

Interview of defendant

A Milwaukee detective conducted an interview of Benson on May 4. The defendant indicated he was driving the car in the wreck that "he had just purchased on Facebook Marketplace for approximately $6,000," the complaint says. While driving, Benson noticed the police squad following him. He said he did not want to get in a police chase, but that "he knew his car wasn't registered and that he didn't have a valid driver's license, and he didn't want his car to get towed. The defendant stated that his plan had been to get far enough ahead of the squad car so that he could pull over and get out of the car and walk away," the complaint says. He admitted that he "smashed off" in order to try to get away from the police.

As for the gun that was in the vehicle, the "defendant stated that he was holding the gun for his friend temporarily," the complaint says.

Benson made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Tuesday, May 7. Cash bond was set at $150,000.