Brookfield retail theft, police chase; man sentenced to prison
BROOKFIELD, Wis. - A man who prosecutors said fled police, rammed multiple vehicles, and injured an officer in the process after stealing laptops from a Brookfield store has been sentenced to prison.
Sentenced to prison
In court:
Elenzo Harvester, 31, was originally charged with eight felonies. Court records show he pleaded no contest to retail theft, fleeing police and hit-and-run, and the remaining charges were dismissed in September.
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Waukesha County Judge David Maas sentenced Harvester to five years in prison and five years of extended supervision.
Elenzo Harvester
Brookfield retail theft
The backstory:
It all unfolded on Feb. 6. Police were called for a retail theft in progress at a business on Bluemound Road near Janacek Road. It was reported that a man stole four laptops, ran out of the store and got into a white Chevrolet SUV.
A criminal complaint said an officer spotted the SUV driving through a nearby parking lot and turned on his lights to stop the vehicle. The driver pulled into a parking space, and the officer parked his squad "in a way to prevent the vehicle from fleeing." But before the officer could get out of his squad, the driver backed up and hit the squad. The driver was detained, but a passenger "hiding inside" the SUV got into the driver's seat and backed up into the squad.
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When officers tried to get that person, later identified as Harvester, out of the vehicle, court filings said he drove forward into a pickup truck and hit "numerous" parked vehicles as he fled. One person was injured while trying to avoid being hit.
One officer stayed with the detained, original driver. The complaint said that person knew Harvester but did not know he was stealing items and said Harvester did not have permission to take his SUV.
Police pursuit
Dig deeper:
Another officer began to pursue Harvester, according to the complaint. The chase went through the parking lot, onto Main Street and then Bluemound Road. It made its way to Moorland Road, where he briefly drove into oncoming traffic. Police attempted a PIT maneuver to stop him near Carpenter Road, but he kept going.
When the officer tried a second PIT maneuver, court filings said Harvester "intentionally steered his vehicle" toward the squad. The officer left the roadway and hit a tree, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment of crash injuries.
Prosecutors said a different officer took over the chase as Harvester drove onto I-94 eastbound at Moorland Road. The SUV lost its front tires, but the chase continued into Milwaukee County. The officer tried five more unsuccessful PIT maneuvers to try to stop the SUV.
Brookfield retail theft police chase, man charged with 8 felonies
A man is accused of fleeing police, ramming multiple vehicles and injuring an officer in the process, after stealing laptops from a Brookfield store.
Harvester got off I-94 at Highway 100, where the complaint said an officer made a successful PIT maneuver and stopped the SUV on the off-ramp. A Wisconsin State Patrol trooper helped box-in the vehicle, but Harvester got out and jumped over a concrete barrier – falling several feet and continuing to run.
Police at the scene lost sight of Harvester, court filings said, but West Allis police officers later found him hiding in the back of a tree service truck. Officers checked the back of the truck, which was filled with woodchips, and found no weapons or contraband.
The laptops, valued at more than $3,000, were later recovered.
Harvester was taken to a hospital. When officers tried to talk to him, the complaint said he "declined to give a statement, and was generally uncooperative."
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Brookfield Police Department, Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.