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'Just a mess:' 1 dead, 3 in custody following serious crash near 13th and Morgan

By Amy DuPont
Published  April 12, 2019 5:18pm CDT
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office
FOX 6 Now Milwaukee

Chase ends in fatal crash in Milwaukee

Chase ends in fatal crash in Milwaukee



MILWAUKEE -- One man is dead and three people are behind bars following a pursuit that lead to a fatal crash on Milwaukee's south side Thursday, April 11. The 18-year-old driver and two others from the car that caused the accident are now in police custody. Investigators say the crash happened after the driver refused to pull over.

Fatal crash near 13th and Morgan



The incident began after a deputy spotted a Milwaukee teen driving recklessly on the interstate, and followed the car near 13th and Morgan. The deputy attempted to pull the driver over, and that pursuit ended in a violent crash. Cellphone video taken moments after the crash captured the chaos as onlookers waited helplessly for first responders to arrive.

Pedro Colon-Ortiz



"He really needs help! He's dying," said an unidentified person in the cell phone video.

Fatal crash near 13th and Morgan



Witnesses and police officers were unable to free the 25-year-old man, who ended up trapped inside a gray SUV. Investigators have not released his name, but friends on social media identify him as Pedro Colon-Ortiz. He's the father of a one-year-old daughter who never made it home from work.

The suspect and two female passengers ran from the scene. Police arrested them nearby, and walked the driver -- in handcuffs -- past the damage they say he caused. Nicole Murphy heard the crash from inside her home.

Fatal crash near 13th and Morgan



Fatal crash near 13th and Morgan



"Mangled cars, people standing on the sides of the road, somebody was attempting what I can assume was CPR on someone on the side," said Murphy. "It just didn't look good... It was just a mess."

While Colon-Ortiz's family collects funds to pay for his funeral, investigators are collecting evidence to make their case to keep the suspect and his two passengers behind bars. Officers recovered a weapon and drugs from inside the suspect's car. They have not yet released the suspect's name.

"It's sad that someone lost their life," said Murphy.

Nicole Murphy