Pursuit of Milwaukee car theft suspects ends with police shooting two teens in stolen vehicle

MILWAUKEE – A police chase for a car theft suspect in Milwaukee ended Thursday with police firing into the vehicle, injuring two teenagers, one of whom was pregnant and lost her baby, Milwaukee police said.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m., officers attempted to stop the stolen vehicle on Interstate 43 north of Milwaukee. The pursuit ended when the driver entered a construction lane and the vehicle was blocked by construction and a cement truck, Police Chief Jeffrey B. Norman said.

Officers ordered the driver to stop and ordered passengers to exit the vehicle, but the driver backed into a marked SWAT car twice, once as an officer stood behind it. Another officer fired shots into the vehicle, wounding an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy, Norman said.

The woman suffered life-threatening injuries and “unfortunately the baby did not survive,” Norman said at a press conference.

The 17-year-old suffered serious injuries, it was said.

A total of six suspects were in the stolen vehicle, Norman said. The other four, aged between 15 and 18, were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

The officer involved is a 25-year-old man with over four years of service. He was assigned administrative duties, which is routine in an officer-involved shooting, Norman said.

The suspects were being pursued in connection with an armed robbery and car theft, as well as an attempted armed robbery and car theft. A gun was found in the vehicle, Norman said.