Milwaukee County police chase ends in crash; West Bend man behind wheel
Shawn Sworske
MILWAUKEE - A 23-year-old West Bend man is accused of leading a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy on a miles-long police chase which ended in a crash on Milwaukee's south side. The accused is Shawn Sworske – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- Second-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Vehicle operator flee/elude officer causing damage to property
According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy spotted on Friday morning, April 11, a red Ford Focus "operating at a high speed and weaving in and out of traffic" on westbound I-94. The deputy activated his lights and siren in an attempt to stop the car. At that point, the criminal complaint says the driver in the red car "swerved into a semi-truck, then collided with the concrete barrier (causing damage to both), then increased its speed in an apparent attempt to flee."
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Court filings say the police chase stretched nearly four miles at speeds up to 100 mph, "recklessly endangered the lives of others by swerving in and out of traffic, almost striking a vehicle at the intersection of General Mitchell Blvd. and Frederick Miller Way while disregarding a stop sign, almost striking another vehicle at Selig Dr. and Yount Dr., again while disregarding a stop sign, and operating on the wrong side of the road with oncoming traffic on Canal Street." The deputy terminated the police chase at 25th and Canal.
Crash at 16th and Canal, Milwaukee
Visual contact was regained less than a minute later when the red car "was found crashed into another vehicle and a fence at the southeast corner of Canal St. and Potawatomi Circle," the complaint says. The driver inside the red car was identified as the defendant, Shawn Sworske.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
When questioned by law enforcement, the complaint says Sworske "admitted to seeing (the deputy's) squad lights, but could not recall why he did not pull over."
Crash at 16th and Canal, Milwaukee
Online court records indicate Sworske was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Thursday, April 17.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.