Pregnant Teen Loses Baby, Another Teenager Shot by Police Inside Stolen Vehicle Connected to 2 Carjackings
Milwaukee Police shared that the 25-year-old officer "involved" has been placed on "routine" administrative duty
WISN/YouTube
Scene of police pursuit in Milwaukee on June 20, 2024A pregnant 18-year-old was left with "life-threatening injuries" and lost her baby after police in Wisconsin shot her during a pursuit in connection to carjackings.
On Thursday, June 20, officers for the Milwaukee Police Department "attempted to conduct a felony stop" around 2:23 p.m. local time at N.17th Street and W. Vliet Street — in connection with what the department shared on Facebook was two "armed robbery carjackings."
During the pursuit, which took place on Interstate 43, the vehicle was "blocked by the construction and a cement truck" in a construction lane. Officers commanded the suspects to exit, but the driver "reversed the vehicle striking a marked squad car."
"The suspect driver drove forward and then reversed the vehicle. An officer was located behind the vehicle. At this time, another officer discharged his firearm into the vehicle subsequently striking two suspects. A total of six suspects were in the vehicle," the release notes.
A 17-year-old boy was also left with "serious injuries," police note, and both injured suspects were "transported to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries." Other suspects ranged in age from 15-18 and were treated for minor injuries.
Milwaukee Police shared that the 25-year-old officer "involved" has four years of service and will be placed on "administrative duty," which is "routine in an officer-involved shooting."
A firearm was recovered from the vehicle, which was determined to be stolen, per the department's Facebook release. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing a news conference from Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, it was unclear if suspects had fired shots as of Thursday afternoon.
A local woman told ABC affiliate WISN at the scene that she "definitely heard shots," despite not knowing "who fired shots first." "It was just a lot at once," she added.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Norman noted that both carjacking victims were "OK" — with those taking place before the pursuit at the 500 block of N. Broadway and the 500 block of N. Jefferson Street.
"We have multiple young people involved in unacceptable behavior in this city. This is unacceptable," Norman said, per the Journal Sentinel. "Parents, what is going on with your children? People in our community, how are we helping to keep our kids in positive behaviors, rather than what we are seeing today?"
"This should never have happened. ... There are no winners in this particular situation," he continued. "So I'm asking the community, let's take our kids and embrace them in a positive way to engage in positive behaviors and not in these unacceptable behaviors we saw today."
The department also shared that "criminal charges will be referred" to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and that the incident is being investigated by the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, with the West Allis Police Department leading law enforcement in the "ongoing investigation."
The DA's office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Friday.
Citing police data, NBC News noted carjackings in the city increased 16% from 2022 to 2023 — 398 to 463.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
