Milwaukee County 18-mile police pursuit; driver charged
Justice Pearson
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused of leading police on an 18-mile pursuit last month while driving at speeds as high as 120 mph.
Prosecutors charged 19-year-old Justice Pearson with fleeing/eluding police and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He pleaded not guilty on Friday to both charges.
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Police pursuit
The pursuit started on Oct. 20, near 28th and Townsend. At about 8:20 p.m. that night, a criminal complaint states a Milwaukee police officer was conducting surveillance at a nearby gas station when he saw a man driving a black Mazda 3 to a pump.
Two other officers who were in the area saw the same black Mazda 3 with the same Wisconsin plates, and they saw the vehicle had excessive window tint, per the complaint. The officers pulled up behind the vehicle and turned on their lights and sirens in order to conduct a traffic stop.
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
Court filings said the Mazda’s driver initially slowed down, but then accelerated away from police.
Officers pursued the driver for more than 18 miles as the driver reached speeds of 75 mph in residential areas and 120 mph on the interstate. The driver also ran several stop signs and stop lights. Eventually, officers ended the pursuit on the interstate near Brown Deer Road as traffic was heavier and the lanes narrowed due to construction.
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Search for suspect
Police reviewed surveillance footage from the gas station and saw the driver get in the Mazda’s driver’s seat before fleeing, per the complaint. Police learned that the vehicle was registered to Pearson.
By looking at a previous booking photo of Pearson, the complaint states police determined Pearson was the same person the officer saw in-person and on surveillance video getting into the Mazda’s driver’s seat before the pursuit.
Justice Pearson on surveillance video
Officers then went to Pearson's address and saw the black Mazda 3 with the same Wisconsin plates parked behind the residence, according to prosecutors.
Officers tried to make contact with the people at the residence, but the complaint states they were not successful until Pearson's father arrived. Ultimately, Pearson’s father called him – and he then exited the residence and was taken into custody.