Pleasant Prairie police chase ends with wreck, driver gets away barefoot
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. - It was a lose-lose situation for a man who fled from Pleasant Prairie police early Thursday morning, May 18. He already had two warrants out for his arrest, and now he has racked up a third.
"We know exactly who we’re looking for," said Pleasant Prairie Police Capt. Paul Marik.
Pleasant Prairie police released dash camera video of a police chase that started as a traffic stop around 1 a.m. Thursday.
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"The vehicle initially decided to pull over but then just hit the gas," Marik said.
With speeds reaching up to 109 miles an hour, the police chase went down Green Bay Road and then east on 85th Street. Once the driver saw the squads from the opposite direction, he slammed on the brakes and made a U-turn as police narrowly avoided hitting him.
"I don’t know if they’re unfamiliar with the area, but it was a T-intersection at 85th and Green Bay," Marik said.
The driver then just missed running into a semi before crashing into a tree – totaling the car.
"It was definitely in his best interest to pull over," Marik said.
The driver already had active warrants through Racine and Florida. By not stopping, police say he made his record a lot worse.
"He’s facing second degree recklessly endangering safety, fleeing and eluding, a host of several other charges. He’s probably added three other felonies to his already not stellar record," Marik said. "He would’ve went to jail either way. But now he’s injured, he’s totaled out his friend’s car, and now he’s facing several other felony charges. Its always in your best interest to just pull over. We’re just glad nobody got killed."
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In the end, the driver managed to get away. A Facebook post on this incident says…
"Although our offender managed to get away on foot, he did so barefooted since he left his slippers outside the car. He also left his phone, ID, fingerprints and DNA inside the car."
"Sir, we have your property with us, and we'll be in touch soon."
Police want the community to know there is no current threat to the public.