Wisconsin police chase: Guns and drugs found, 2 men charged
WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. - Two convicted felons are accused in a miles-long police chase that stretched from Jefferson County into Milwaukee County in December.
It happened late on Wednesday, Dec. 18. According to a criminal complaint, law enforcement in Jefferson County tried to drop a dark-colored SUV eastbound on I-94 to conduct an OWI investigation based on multiple 911 calls.
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Officials said 25-year-old Christopher Johnson of Middleton was driving, and 19-year-old Demetrius Murry of Madison was a passenger in the back seat of the SUV. A third person, who is not charged, was a passenger in the SUV. The complaint said Johnson "failed to yield to officers and instead fled."
The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department picked up the police chase, which prosecutors said reached "speeds of approximately 119 mph" and wove through multiple lanes of traffic. The SUV fled without any headlights or taillights on.
Johnson "struck two separate tire deflation devices as he fled eastbound on I-94 near Barker Road," the complaint said. A Waukesha County sheriff's deputy had to swerve to avoid a tire deflation device during the chase – and ended up striking a parked town of Brookfield squad on the side of the interstate.
Town of Brookfield squad damaged during police chase
Brookfield police picked up the police chase near I-94 and Moorland Road. Court filings said officers "executed a PIT maneuver" as Johnson rounded the curve onto I-894 southbound. The SUV came to a stop, and Johnson and Murry were taken into custody.
Court filings said one deputy noted a top speed of 128 mph.
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When law enforcement searched Johnson at the scene, court filings said they found a stack of money. Murry had "44 grams of marijuana and a canister of pepper spray" on him, per the complaint.
Inside the SUV, prosecutors said officers found two backpacks – one of which Murry "claimed ownership of." It contained more marijuana, a digital scale and a handgun magazine. Two more handguns were found in the locked glove box.
When questioned by police, court filings said Johnson "claimed he got scared and did not want to pull over." When asked about the marijuana in the vehicle, he said he had "four, one-ounce packages of THC in his backpack" and claimed the large bag found in the backpack "must have been planted there as he was fleeing." When an officer challenged Johnson's claim, he then "admitted that the marijuana was his." He said a gun in the glove compartment was not his, and it belonged to someone who regularly drove the SUV.
Christopher Johnson and Demetrius Murry
In court
The complaint noted that both Johnson and Murry are convicted felons.
Johnson is charged with fleeing/eluding an officer, two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, possession with intent to deliver THC, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of narcotic drugs and misdemeanor bail jumping.
Murry is charged with possession with intent to deliver THC and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Both Johnson and Murry made their initial appearances in Waukesha County court on Dec. 23. Bond for Johnson was set at $40,000, while bond for Murry was set at $15,000.