DA PROBING OFFICER'S SINGLE SHOT AT CAR

Driver fleeing police with 'considerable' amount of pot in car

Milwaukee police and the district attorney's office are investigating the
circumstances surrounding an officer's decision to fire a shot at a car
driven by a man who led police on a high-speed chase - and attempted to run
over an officer - while his 7-year-old son was in the vehicle.

Police said the chase began about 4:20 p.m. Aug. 10 near N. 28th and W.
Chambers streets.

According to police:

Officers began following the man's car because they thought he matched the
description of a shooting suspect.

Instead of pulling over, the man fled. At one point during the chase, he
rammed a squad car, stopped and sped off again.

Later, the car stopped again, and the driver began to get out of the car. As
officers did the same, the man got back in the car and tried to run over one
of the officers. An officer then fired one shot, striking the car.

The car crashed near N. 24th and W. Burleigh streets, and the driver fled on
foot, leaving the 7-year-old alone in the car.

The suspect was arrested after a scuffle, during which two officers suffered
minor injuries. The suspect also suffered minor injuries.

Police said they fired at the car in an attempt to disable it. It was
unclear whether police knew a child was in the front seat when they fired.

No information was available about the officer who fired the shot. However,
police said the incident remains under investigation by the department's
Internal Affairs Division. Such an investigation is routine after any
officer discharges a weapon, police said.

The Milwaukee County district attorney's office also is reviewing the case,
police said.

Milwaukee police said a "considerable" amount of marijuana was found in his
car.

The boy was sitting in the front seat of the car during the pursuit.

"My dad looked in the rear-view mirror and said that 'the police are
following us,' " the boy told a reporter. "I looked back and saw the lights
on and told my dad, 'Dad, just drive slow.' He said he couldn't stop because
he'd go to jail."

The boy was not hurt, but he said he was frightened during the chase, which
police said lasted only 5 minutes.

His mother, who did not want to be identified, said she, too, was rattled by
the incident. She criticized police for shooting at the car.

"I almost lost my son today," she said. "He could have been shot."

Journal Sentinel reporter Kelly Wells contributed to this report.