Wauwatosa police chase, baby left behind in car: complaint

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - A Milwaukee woman is accused of fleeing police in December – and leaving an 8-month-old baby behind after abandoning her car.

Prosecutors charged 25-year-old Tosca Wheeler with fleeing police and neglecting a child.

The brief police chase started in Wauwatosa on Dec. 11 when officers tried to pull over a red Saturn for having an unreadable license plate. A criminal complaint states police noticed an infant inside the car and stopped the chase.

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Police soon found the car behind an apartment complex off Mayfair Road. As officers planned their approach, they said the driver was nowhere in sight. A passenger said the driver, identified as Wheeler, got out – leaving the passenger and the 8-month-old baby behind.

After Wauwatosa police arrested Wheeler, the complaint states she told officers she drove away because she was scared and admitted to leaving the baby behind – calling a Lyft to get back home.

Court records show Wheeler is not allowed contact with the baby at the moment.