Police standoff: Milwaukee woman uses toddler as 'human shield'
Milwaukee woman uses toddler as 'human shield' in standoff
Prosecutors said a Milwaukee woman used her toddler as a shield following a traffic stop in a stolen car.
GLENDALE, Wis. - Prosecutors said a Milwaukee woman used her toddler as a shield following a traffic stop in a stolen car.
New body camera footage shows police repeatedly telling her to walk away from the car and to leave her kids inside.
Case details
What we know:
29-year-old Romesha Allen has been charged with the following:
- Obstructing an officer
- Neglecting a child - specified harm did not occur and child under six years of age
- Neglecting a child - specified harm did not occur
Romesha Allen
Traffic stop turns into standoff
The backstory:
On Thursday, Jan. 30, a traffic stop off Port Washington Road and Hampton Avenue took an unexpected turn.
According to a criminal complaint, officers with the Glendale Police Department pulled over the stolen Hyundai. Allen alerted them her two children were in the car.
Police told her to leave the 1 and 11-year-old inside the car.
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Allen eventually exited the vehicle and kept reaching inside it. Officers asked her to walk towards them. Instead, she got back inside the vehicle.
Glendale police standoff; woman uses child as human shield, complaint says
A Milwaukee woman has been charged with child neglect after prosecutors say she used a one-year-old child as a human shield when confronted by police.
Per the complaint, she was warned about pepper spray. She refused to get out for approximately nine minutes.
Two officers pointed their weapons at the vehicle and another prepared a pepper ball gun, eventually firing off shots.
As smoke got into the car, Allen ran out with the younger child. She was using the child "as a human shield towards the officers and running at" them.
The complaint states the 11-year-old got out of the car, crying, and both kids were visibility upset.
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The officers grabbed the toddler and put the 29-year-old woman in cuffs.
The criminal complaint said officers found an unsecured pistol in a diaper bag within reach of the children.
Allen told officers the car was a rental and not her own, and the complaint said it was confirmed stolen from Enterprise.
In court
What's next:
She has pleaded not guilty in court. She is due back in court on Thursday, Feb. 20.
The Source: The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office provided FOX6 with the criminal complaint. Court information is available on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website.