Alcohol thief nearly runs over off-duty cop

Feb. 1, 2011

An off-duty Milwaukee police officer was nearly struck by a man fleeing after he tried to take alcohol from a Wauwatosa grocery store Thursday morning.

According to a Wauwatosa Police Department report:

The off-duty officer noticed a security guard chasing a man through the parking lot at Metcalfe's Market, 6700 W. State St., at 10:30 a.m. He tried to stop the suspect from driving off by showing his badge and pointing his gun. Initially, the suspect put up his hands, but then he backed out his minivan.

The officer ran after the suspect's minivan and stood in front of it again trying to get him to stop. The driver was undeterred and he nearly struck the officer before driving off.

The security guard said the man had been recognized for stealing three bottles of liquor the prior day and he was filling a cart that day with alcohol.

When his vehicle was spotted at 60th Street and North Avenue, the suspect led an officer on a 0.4-mile chase. The pursuit ended because of the slippery, snow-covered roads.

Wauwatosa officers talked to the vehicle owner. She said she let her ex-boyfriend, a 40-year-old Milwaukee man, drive their kids to school. He was on bail for battery and had a drug problem, she said.

There had been numerous attempts to arrest the man, but he remained at large. Police are working with the district attorney to issue charges for recklessly endangering safety, eluding police, retail theft and bail-jumping.

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