Racine County police chase; SUV stolen in Madison carjacking
RACINE, Wis. - A 22-year-old Chicago man is in the Racine County Jail following a series of crimes that ended with a police chase that topped 120 miles per hour.
Officials say just after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, the Racine County Sheriff's Office received information about silver SUV driving on I-94 that was stolen in a Madison carjacking. The information indicated that during the carjacking, the suspect stabbed an Uber driver multiple times, causing life-threatening injuries. The carjacking and attempted homicide occurred around 8:40 p.m. The suspect was later identified as Antonio Rodgers from Chicago.
Antonio Rodgers
Around 10:15 p.m., deputies stopped the vehicle on northbound I-94 just north of Kraut Road. However, as deputies began to give verbal commands, Rodgers drove-off northbound at a high rate of speed that reached over 120 mph, officials said.
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Racine County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Luell said the information on why police were looking for Rodgers justified an intense approach.
"Deputies and other law enforcement officers kind of scrambled in the area to locate that vehicle," Luell said. "We’re not only dealing with a carjacking, but we’re also dealing with a potential attempted homicide."
A deputy was positioned ahead of the pursuit near the Highway K entrance ramp. That deputy was able to successfully deploy spike strips, causing some of the SUV’s tires to slowly deflate. Rodgers continued to flee the deputies at over 100 mph.
PIT maneuver on stolen SUV in Racine County
Officials said rubber began to shred off the rims of the SUV's tires and Rodgers was forced to reduce his speed to approximately 50 mph. That allowed a deputy to perform a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver. The deputy used the front passenger side of his squad car to impact the rear driver’s side of Rodger’s vehicle – causing the vehicle to spin 180 degrees and stop.
Multiple deputies, including three K-9 teams, set up a high risk stop. With the three K-9’s actively barking, Rodgers followed commands and was taken into custody.
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Rodgers is being held on $135,000 bail for the following offenses:
- 1st Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety – four counts
- Fleeing and Eluding
- Operating a Motor Vehicle without Owner’s Consent
Later, the Madison Police Department placed a detainer on Rodgers for attempted homicide, officials said.