Milwaukee hit-and-run crash, police chase: 29-year-old man charged

MILWAUKEE - A 29-year-old Milwaukee man faces a slew of criminal counts in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash and police chase. The accused is Patrick Garcia – and he faces the following counts:

• Flee or elude officer
• Second-degree recklessly endangering safety (three counts)
• Possession of a firearm by a felon
• Obstructing an officer
• Intimidation of a victim
• Possession of cocaine
• Neglecting a child

According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were on patrol near 63rd and Appleton on Tuesday, May 2 when they spotted a car wanted for a fatal hit-and-run crash. The vehicle had "what appeared to be a fraudulent registration plate." The vehicle began accelerating away from the marked squad and a pursuit was initiated, the complaint says.

The court paperwork says the vehicle "fled for 7.7 miles and disregarded multiple red traffic lights, stop signs, drove into oncoming traffic, drove against numerous one-way streets, and exceeded speed limits driving over 100 miles per hour." Eventually, the vehicle begins losing control and became "disabled because of a tire bending." The complaint says the defendant, Garcia, jumped out of the car, "fled on foot from officers, climbing over fences, and running through residential yards. Garcia attempted to kick (an officer) while Garcia was on top of a shed in a citizen's yard." Eventually, Garcia was taken into custody.

Police scene near 21st and Mitchell, Milwaukee

Officers conducted a search of the vehicle Garcia was driving. Inside the vehicle was a woman and the shared child of that woman. Officers also recovered a "black Glock 42 with a clear extended magazine on the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle," the complaint says. In addition, officers also located a backpack "containing baggies, a scale, .9 grams of what tested positive for MDMA. A clear corner cut sandwich bag containing a hard white crystal-like substance, testing positive for cocaine."

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The vehicle Garcia was driving was listed as stolen as of April 17.

During an interview with police, the complaint says Garcia "unsolicited, indicated that the drugs in the vehicle were his."

The complaint also says Garcia made a number of phone calls on his own inmate account. During a call on Thursday, May 4, Garcia told a woman "she needs to cooperate but when she's asked any questions, she needs to say that she's pleading the 5th and not give any information to the prosecution." A few hours later, the complaint says Garcia called the same person and told her she "to stick to what he told her to tell them and that it's very important that she stick to it." During one last call to that same person, Garcia said "he feels really bad about what he did," the complaint says.

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Garcia made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Friday, May 5. Cash bond was set at $10,000.