Man dies after police chase leads to crash, car and house fire. It's third crash from chase in 10 days.
A 27-year-old man died Saturday after the third police chase in Milwaukee in 10 days resulted in a crash.
Milwaukee police were investigating a drug complaint Saturday afternoon when they spotted a vehicle involved in the matter and tried to stop it, Inspector Jutiki Jackson.
The driver fled from officers and blew a stop sign about 4:45 p.m. at North 13th Street and West Capitol Drive, Jackson said at a news conference Saturday night at the scene. The car collided with an SUV headed westbound on Capitol, and the car crashed into a house at the intersection and caught fire.
The car hit the natural gas meter on the house and broke it, causing a natural gas leak and setting the house on fire, too, said Deputy Chief Todd Van Roo of the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Crews rescued the man trapped in the car and paramedics took him to Froedtert Hospital, where he died from his injuries, authorities said.
The driver of the SUV had minor injuries and was taken to Froedtert as well, authorities said.
It is unclear how fast the man was driving while he was fleeing police, but officers believed the car reached speeds of 60 to 80 miles an hour, Jackson said. The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating.
The house sustained damage to the first floor from both the fire and the impact of the crash, Van Roo said. It was vacant at the time, Jackson said.
Crews evacuated a home next door to check natural gas levels and found it was safe.
The crash marks the third crash from a high-speed chase since April 11.
Pedro L. Colon-Ortiz, 25, died April 11 after prosecutors say Robert M. Matagi, 18, fled a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy and crashed into Colon-Ortiz's car at West Morgan Avenue and South 13th Street.
And a triple shooting Thursday led to a police chase and crash in the 4000 block of West North Avenue that injured seven people, one critically, and involved a school bus.
The chases come as a new study reported a 155% increase in police chases in Milwaukee since a policy change allowed officers to pursue reckless drivers. Jackson said the department plans to continue its policy.
"We have individuals who are committing major felonies in the city, violent felonies in the city," Jackson said. '"They're drug dealing, and they're destroying neighborhoods. So when they take off from officers, we're going to pursue."
Jackson said some pursuits have negative outcomes, but the chases are essential to make sure drivers know police will not back down.
"We're at a critical point in the city, in certain neighborhoods, where drug dealers, violent offenders, operate with a sense of impunity. And as a law enforcement agency ... we all have to take a standing."
RELATED:Milwaukee police pursuits jump 155% after policy change targeting reckless drivers
Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.