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Stolen vehicle stopped by OnStar; four teenagers arrested
Stolen vehicle stopped by OnStar; four teenagers arrested
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Glendale police tell FOX6 News four suspects have been arrested for their connection to a stolen vehicle that crashed near Port Washington Rd. and Hampton Ave. on Wednesday morning, May 7th.
According to officials, Milwaukee police were alerted to the stolen vehicle by OnStar. Once OnStar was made aware that officers were in the area, they disabled the auto by remotely turning off the ignition.
At that time, four suspects fled the vehicle. The car continued to roll after being disabled, striking a light pole.
Milwaukee police arrested three suspects, a 16-year-old male, an 18-year-old male and a 15-year-old female, after a brief foot pursuit.
Glendale police arrested the fourth suspect, a 17-year-old male, a short time later. He is now in Milwaukee police custody.
The car, a 2012 Buick Verano, was taken with keys from the 6900 block of W. Stevenson early Wednesday morning.
The suspects will be referred to the District Attorney's Office for possible charges in the coming days.
No injuries were reported.
Randy Tennies, a new car manager at Ernie Von Schledorn explained to FOX6 News on Wednesday exactly how OnStar was able to disable this vehicle.
"(OnStar will) disengage the vehicle, and it will come to a slow, rolling stop," Tennies said.
Depending on the speed and the vehicle's size, the vehicle will stop over a space of 20 to 40 feet after the ignition is shut off remotely.
"It will come to a rolling stop because they don't want to have an accident either -- if somebody's behind them or anything like that," Tennies said.
So how can a car be shut off without the driver knowing anything about it?
It's due to technology that has been featured in many GM models produced over the last decade or so.
"Every vehicle has OnStar. OnStar's button always is blue. It's always on their mirror," Tennies said.
You've likely heard of OnStar -- but may strictly associate it with emergency or road side assistance. But OnStar also helps car owners and police to report vehicles as stolen and have them stopped.
"We do hear about that probably once every couple of months," Tennies said.
Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.