Man out on bond in OWI case; accused in pursuit, rollover crash that injured Greenfield officer

Police pursuit dashcam video

Jorge Ornelas

GREENFIELD -- A Milwaukee man is facing charges in connection with a rollover crash that happened during a pursuit on Aug. 12.

Jorge Ornelas, 26, of Milwaukee faces one count of first degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of operator flee/elude officer, bodily harm or property damage.

According to a criminal complaint, around 9 a.m., a Greenfield officer was in pursuit of a vehicle that had fled near 60th and Forest Home as he attempted a traffic stop for speeding. The pursuit was ultimately terminated.

The suspect vehicle was spotted headed eastbound on Edgerton near Southridge Mall, and another Greenfield officer made a U-turn in an effort to catch up to the vehicle, which "suddenly accelerated away." A third Greenfield officer picked up the pursuit headed eastbound on Edgerton from 68th. Police pursued the suspect vehicle, which eventually headed onto Loomis. The third officer attempted a PIT maneuver on Loomis near Coldspring Road. The officer's vehicle ended up flipping over onto its hood, and the suspect vehicle continued on, away from the scene.

View from second squad in pursuit of vehicle

Pursuit of suspect that led to rollover by squad

The pursuit was terminated, and it was determined the officer involved in the crash was hurt.

The complaint says during the pursuit, Ornelas, who prosecutors say was driving the suspect vehicle, blew a red light at Loomis and Coldspring, and reached speeds of approximately 112 miles-per-hour in a 35 miles-per-hour zone during the contact with the initial Greenfield officer.

When the PIT maneuver was attempted by the third officer, Ornelas' vehicle was bumped into the median, and then bounced back into the roadway, striking the front driver's side of the officer's squad, which caused it to flip.

The complaint says Ornelas admitted he was the driver in this case.

Camera inside squad that rolled over

Viewer video showing scene of rollover crash involving squad

Raw video: Viewer captures officers racing to scene of crash during pursuit

"Thank God (the officer) is OK," a witness to the crash said.

"We looked down the block and sure enough, we saw an SUV upside down facing us. You could see the bottom of the car and stuff like that. Flipped upside down. Tires in the air -- all four. They blocked it all off. All of the cop cars were just keeping all the traffic away," said Corey Oschmann.

View from third squad involved in pursuit

Police said the officer was pulled out by other officers, and taken to the hospital -- where the officer was treated and released. Police said the officer who was injured is a 10-year veteran of the Greenfield Police Department.

Police said Ornelas was arrested on Aug. 12. Ornelas made his initial appearance in court on Aug. 18. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 24, and cash bond was set at $5,000.

Online court records show he has an open case filed out of Milwaukee County in May, in which he's charged with OWI, second offense, operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, greater than .02, under ignition interlock device order and operating while revoked.

He failed to make his initial appearance in court in June. At that time, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and $704 in cash bond was forfeited.

$250 cash bond was posted in that case on Aug. 19. He made his initial appearance on Aug. 18 after he was returned on that arrest warrant issued in June.