17-year-old dies in car fire after fleeing Milwaukee police, crashing into tree, police say
A Milwaukee police pursuit ended Aug. 6 in the fleeing vehicle, being driven by a 17-year-old, crashing into a tree and becoming engulfed in flames, rendering the teenage driver dead, according to a statement from the department.
The car fire on the city’s north side, near North 19th Street and West Hampton Avenue, also resulted in two Milwaukee police officers being transported to an area hospital, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department, who put out the blaze.
The Milwaukee Police Department didn’t acknowledge injuries to its officers in a late Wednesday night statement. The department said officers observed a vehicle connected to a felony driving recklessly. They attempted to make a traffic stop but the driver refused and fled, police said. A very short pursuit ended in the 1900 block of West Hampton. The driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
A vehicle is engulfed in flames near North 19th Street and West Hampton Avenue as firefighters work to put it out. One person died and two Milwaukee officers were injured.
Videos shared to social media showed a white sedan engulfed in flames near a building as officers unsucessfully attempt to rescue the driver.
Last week, a Milwaukee police pursuit ended deadly as well. A 28-year-old western African man was killed when a 22-year-old Milwaukee woman fled police before crashing into the man at a high-speed as he drove for a rideshare company on Brady Street, according to prosecutors.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1 dead, 2 injured Milwaukee police officers after pursuit and car fire
