Milwaukee police chase, stolen car crash; 3 men charged
6th and Atkinson, Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE - Three people are charged after a Milwaukee police chase ended with a crash on Wednesday, April 17.
Prosecutors accuse 24-year-old Davonta Ballard, 21-year-old Terrell Hinton and 19-year-old Paul Wheeler in the case – and said there was a 6-month-old girl in the car at the time of the pursuit and crash.
Milwaukee police were initially called for an armed robbery near Fond du Lac and Hampton. According to a criminal complaint, a victim said a man – since identified as Ballard – had a gun and stole her car at a gas station.
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The victim said there were two other men in the car that Ballard had pulled up in, per the complaint. The victim also said she jumped on the hood of Ballard's car, but one of those men got into the driver's seat to follow Ballard in the stolen car and she fell off. It was all captured on surveillance video.
Later that afternoon, around 4:35 p.m., officers spotted the stolen car a few miles away near Sherman and Roosevelt. The complaint states officers turned on their lights and sirens to stop the car, but the driver sped away and ran numerous traffic signs and signals.
Davonta Ballard; Terrell Hinton; Paul Wheeler
The chase stretched more than five miles and reached speeds in excess of 100 mph. It ended with a crash near 6th and Keefe. There, prosecutors said the fleeing car tried to fit between two other vehicles that were stopped at a red light.
All three men got out of the stolen car and ran, the complaint states, but were eventually arrested. Ballard was identified as the driver, Hinton the front passenger and Wheeler a backseat passenger. The 6-month-old girl was found in a car seat.
Officers searched the car and found THC and a portable scale, per the complaint. Two guns were found as well.
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In court
Ballard made his initial court appearance on April 22 on the following charges:
- Armed robbery
- Fleeing/eluding police
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety (five counts)
- Possession with intent to deliver THC
- Possession of a firearm by a felon
- Felony bail jumping (four counts)
- Misdemeanor resisting/obstructing an officer
Court records show the 24-year-old's cash bond was set at $40,000.
Hinton is charged with misdemeanor resisting/obstructing an officer, and court records show a $500 signature bond was issued. Wheeler is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and misdemeanor resisting/obstructing an officer. His cash bond was set at $500.