West Allis motorcycle crash, crowd blocks traffic during vigil

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - West Allis police said a vigil Friday, Sept. 15 for a motorcyclist killed in a crash the night before turned into a traffic hazard.

A "large crowd" formed in the area near 92nd and Arthur – blocking traffic with some people doing burnouts in the road, police said. Neighbors told FOX6 News they think hundreds of people showed up and things got out of hand.

"It's very strange," one neighbor said. "I don't like my neighborhood filled with 50 cops."

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Viewer video showed the crowd walking through the street blocking traffic as clouds of smoke filled the air from vehicles doing burnouts up and down the streets. Skid marks covered several blocks, and cleaning crews worked into the night to remove them.

"We don't want this," neighbor Ben Voropayev said. "I completely understand memorials, and there's ways of going about it, but they have no consideration for our neighborhood – for us as people."

Large crowd forms near 92nd and Arthur, West Allis

Multiple agencies were called to disperse the crowd Friday and maintain public safety. Police said most of the crowd disbursed around 8:15 p.m., but a few people returned as officers monitored the area. 

As of 2:40 p.m. Saturday, police had made multiple arrests. Two people were arrested for unlawful assembly and one was arrested for recklessly endangering safety. More arrests may come.

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The crash happened around 6 p.m. Thursday. Police said the 21-year-old man was speeding up 92nd Street and hit a car that pulled out in front of him. He died at the scene.

The driver of the car remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said.