Milwaukee police chase, crash on city's south side; 22-year-old accused
Jose Duran Rivera
MILWAUKEE - A 22-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of leading police on a miles-long police chase before he crashed on the city's south side on Monday, Sept. 2. The accused is Jose Duran Rivera – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Vehicle operator flee/elude officer causing damage to property
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were patrolling on the city's south side late on Monday, Sept. 2 when they spotted a car leaving a gas station and disregard a stop sign at 17th and Becher. The officers activated their lights and siren in an effort to conduct a traffic stop. But the driver of the car "did not pull over, but rather accelerated away" and turned off its lights.
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Officers pursued the speeding car for almost three miles at speeds approaching 100 mph -- first on residential streets and then south on I-43. The complaint says during the police chase, the driver of the car "disregarded stop signs or stop lights, drove into oncoming traffic, and nearly struck several vehicles, all without headlights during hours of darkness." Officers lost sight of the vehicle as it accelerated away on the interstate.
The complaint says another officer requested assistance after spotting the speeding car traveling south on S. 9th Street. Moments later, the car "collided with two other occupied vehicles in the area of S. 6th Street and W. Cleveland Avenue." A driver in one of the two vehicles struck was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The driver of the speeding car, the defendant, exited his vehicle and was taken into custody. The complaint says there was a female passenger in the vehicle. Officers also located "a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun," the complaint says.
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When the defendant offered a statement to police, he said "he didn't stop because he had been drinking earlier and the adrenaline kicked in," the complaint says.
Online court records indicate Duran Rivera was set to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Thursday, Sept. 5.