Kenosha police chase, men hid in trash bins: complaint
Jermaine Mitchell, David Sanchez and Treshawn Tooks
KENOSHA, Wis. - Three Kenosha men are charged in connection to a July 7 police chase.
Jermaine Mitchell, David Sanchez and Treshawn Tooks are each charged with multiple counts. Prosecutors say two of them hid from officers in the trash after the chase.
It started around 12:30 a.m. on July 7. Police tried to stop a black SUV, which had bad brake lights and expired registration, near 12th Avenue and 63rd Street. A criminal complaint states the SUV kept driving slowly and pulled onto Sheridan Road, eventually turning back onto 63rd Street and then onto 11th Avenue – going the wrong way down both one-way streets.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The SUV began to speed away down 11th Avenue and almost hit another vehicle before running a stop sign at 63rd Street, per the complaint. The SUV stopped near 60th Street and the passenger doors opened, but the SUV took off again even faster.
As the chase continued, the SUV drove into an alley between 60th Street and 59th Street. It was a dead-end alley, and the officer pulled in and blocked the entrance with his squad. The complaint states four people then got out and ran off.
The vehicle continued to roll down the alley, per the complaint, and the officer got in and stopped it before it crashed into a fence. While stopping the SUV, the officer found a gun with an extended magazine wedged between the driver's seat and console with a live round in the chamber.
The officer recognized the driver from prior interactions as the 22-year-old Mitchell. Two of the three passengers were identified as Sanchez, 23, and Tooks, 22. The complaint states, as officers searched for the group, residents said they were hiding in trash bins. Officers found Mitchell and Sanchez in separate trash bins next to Tooks, who was laying on the ground.
The complaint states all three men who were caught are "known gang members." The fourth passenger was not found and has not been identified.
Mitchell told police he "freaked out" and fled, the complaint states. He said he just picked up his friends, Tooks and Sanchez, but didn't know how the fourth person was. He admitted he had a gun, but believed he thought it was legal for him to have it because he took a concealed carry course; however, he did not have a concealed carry permit.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
Sanchez told police he was "just in the backseat" and "didn't do (expletive)." Court documents state he was released from prison on extended supervision for a prior conviction in April.
Officers searched the area where Tooks was hiding and found a cellphone, white plastic bag and a gun hidden "within arms reach" of where he was laying.
All three men made initial court appearances Wednesday, July 12. Mitchell is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, fleeing/eluding police, carrying a concealed weapon and obstructing an officer, his cash bond was set at $15,000. Sanchez is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and obstructing an officer and received a $10,000 cash bond. Tooks is charged with two misdemeanors – carrying a concealed weapon and obstructing an officer – and had cash bond set at $2,500.