7 teenagers arrested after car theft, after which the police went on a chase

MILWAUKEE – Seven teenagers were arrested Tuesday after crashing a stolen car and leading police on a chase.

The incident began around 7 p.m. near the corner of Jackson and Menomonee streets when a security guard fired three shots into the air to stop a group of teens from breaking into a car, police said.

The security officer then confronted one of the teenagers in the vehicle who was pointing a gun at them.

The security guard took cover when other youths arrived and started shooting. The security guard returned fire and the suspects fled in the vehicle.

Police later stopped the stolen car near Water Street and Buffalo Street, but the suspects fled, prompting police to launch a chase and eventually collide with two vehicles at the corner of South 13th Street and West Lincoln Avenue.

The arrested youths, aged between 13 and 16, were taken into custody along with several confiscated firearms. No injuries were reported. The security guard was also arrested.

The charges are being reviewed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.

“Many of these children have been previously arrested and convicted for stealing cars without the owner's consent,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said in an emailed news release. “Many of these children were not even old enough to get a driver's license.”

In this press release, he called on the community to “intervene” because he believed there was a trend towards reckless behavior among young people.

“From our side, these consequences do not change the behavior of our youth. The kids we arrest are going to reoffend,” Norman said. “The community needs to step in.”

Norman also called on the media to focus on the reasons behind crimes, not just how police respond, and to investigate the root causes.

Below you can read the full press release from Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman:

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