CHARGED: Confidential informant tells officials 17-year-old was driver in pursuit that ended in Greenfield

WAUKESHA COUNTY (WITI) -- A 17-year-old from Milwaukee has been charged in connection with one of three law enforcement pursuits that occurred this week.  The chase began in Waukesha County and made its way to the area of 60th and Layton in Greenfield.

Daniel Montemayor

17-year-old Daniel Montemayor of Milwaukee faces to charges in this pursuit: a felony charge of second degree recklessly endangering safety, and a felony charge of attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer.

The complaint against Montemayor says a New Berlin police officer responded to the area of 5900 South Moorland Road in New Berlin on Tuesday evening -- around 8:15 p.m. That officer had information that the Muskego Police Department and the Waukesha County Metro Drug Enforcement Unit were going to attempt to stop a vehicle involved in a drug transaction in Muskego. The New Berlin officer was prepared to provide traffic assistance if needed.

The complaint says just before 8:30 p.m., the New Berlin police officer noticed the vehicle in question pass his location at a high-rate of speed. The suspect vehicle was followed by several marked police squads, with their lights and sirens activated.

The New Berlin police officer joined the pursuit, which continued northbound on Moorland Road.

The complaint says the vehicle swerved quickly to the left into oncoming, southbound traffic, as the vehicle's operator attempted to avoid stop sticks that had been deployed in the northbound lane.

The New Berlin police officer estimated the suspect vehicle to be traveling at a speed estimated to be between 65 and 75 miles-per-hour. The complaint says several vehicles in the southbound lanes of Moorland Road had to stop to avoid colliding with the suspect vehicle.

The suspect vehicle eventually crossed West Small Road -- and that's when the other law enforcement officials terminated the pursuit.

The New Berlin police officer, however, continued to follow the suspect vehicle.

The complaint says the suspect vehicle continued northbound on Moorland Road -- weaving in and out of traffic.

The driver approached I-43 -- and entered an on-ramp for the interstate. The complaint says the New Berlin police officer followed, with his lights and sirens activated.

The complaint says the vehicle proceeded northbound on I-43 -- weaving in and out of traffic. The New Berlin police officer paced the vehicle at between 90 and 100 miles-per-hour.

The vehicle continued northbound on I-43 to the Hale Interchange, and headed eastbound on I-94.

The vehicle approached the exit for southbound 60th Street in Greenfield -- and the complaint says traffic became more congested -- and was slowing down for emergency vehicles pursuing the suspect vehicle.

As the driver got to the South 60th Street area, the New Berlin police officer observed the suspect vehicle had crashed -- and there were two individuals now running from the vehicle.

The complaint says both appeared to be while males in their late teens or early 20s with dark hair.

The New Berlin police officer exited his vehicle and ordered both of the suspects to stop. They continued to flee -- jumping over a fence and falling between 18 to 20 feet to a parking lot below.

At that point, two other officers joined the New Berlin police officer in the area.

The complaint says the suspects ran southbound along a vacant building.

One of the officers gave chase and broadcast that one of the suspects (not Montemayor) had removed a handgun from his waistband and had thrown it onto the roof of a building.

The complaint says that handgun was later recovered, and was found to be a 9 mm Glock.

The complaint says when the suspects noticed the officer chasing them -- they turned back and began to run towards the New Berlin officer who initially gave chase when the suspects were still in a vehicle.

The complaint says at this point, one of the suspects began to limp. He was noted to have a black object in his hand -- which was believed to be a handgun, but was later found to be a case containing suspected marijuana.

This suspect continued to run -- but eventually stopped and was taken into custody.

The second suspect, Montemayor, fled on foot, southbound through a parking lot.

The complaint says officers set up a perimeter and began to search for Montemayor.

He was eventually located -- and apprehended by members of the Greenfield Police Department -- and a Greenfield Police Department K9 unit. The complaint says he was located -- possibly hiding in brush in a nearby yard.

---

The complaint says the New Berlin police officer who gave chase of the suspects on foot reported that around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, he had received a message regarding a drug operation that was occurring in the parking lot of the Walmart store in Muskego. Muskego officers were heard considering a high-risk traffic stop on the vehicle in question, when it was determined the vehicle was beginning to leave the Walmart parking lot.

The complaint says police learned the vehicle contained two suspects, and police were given a description of the suspect vehicle.

Police soon learned the Sheriff's Department was closing off Moorland Road, and the officer then parked on Moorland in the median turn around in case the vehicle tried to flee -- so that he could deploy stop sticks.

The complaint says upon learning the vehicle was headed northbound on Moorland Road, this officer deployed stop sticks across the road at his location. He was standing behind the trunk of his vehicle when he observed the suspect vehicle approaching his location at a high rate of speed.

The complaint says as the vehicle approached him, it made an evasive maneuver in an attempt to avoid the stop sticks. The officer estimated the vehicle to be traveling at a speed around 80 miles-per-hour.

The complaint says the vehicle was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes to avoid the stop sticks, and passed him at a distance of only a few feet -- at that high rate of speed.

The complaint says the suspect vehicle nearly collided with three vehicles that were headed southbound on Grange Avenue. These vehicles had to make evasive maneuvers in order to avoid a head-on crash. The suspect vehicle also slammed on its breaks, and nearly lost control.

The complaint says when the vehicle entered I-43 -- it did so at a very high rate of speed -- accelerating on the on-ramp.

This officer, who gave chase of the suspects on foot after they crashed their car determined the length of the vehicle pursuit to be 7.3 miles, with a maximum speed of 100 miles-per-hour.

---

When officials apprehended Montemayor, he complained he was feeling nauseous, and possibly suffering from heat-related conditions.

The complaint says Montemayor was taken to the hospital. It was noted that he had suffered numerous superficial injuries as a result of fleeing from police.

The complaint says the other suspect, who hasn't yet been charged in connection with this incident, told officials he was not the driver of the suspect vehicle -- saying he'd "swear on his dead sister's grave that he wasn't driving."

---

A Muskego police officer says that just after 5:00 p.m. on that Tuesday, July 22nd, officers from the Muskego Police Department were dispatched to assist officers with the Waukesha County Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Unit with a narcotic transaction that was going to occur in the parking lot of the Walmart store on Moorland Road in Muskego.

The complaint says the first suspect apprehended following the pursuit and crash that would occur later (not Montemayor) was indicated as the suspect in this drug-related investigation.

The complaint says this suspect was also listed as a missing person/endangered through the West Allis Police Department. It was indicated that this suspect had made suicidal statements in West Allis -- and he was believed to be in possession of a firearm -- a Magnum revolver, which, the complaint says he had discharged previously in West Allis.

This Muskego police officer observed the alleged narcotics transaction in the Walmart parking lot -- and saw the suspect vehicle leave the parking lot.

That's when the pursuit began.

Muskego officers terminated the pursuit while the vehicle was still on Moorland Road -- just over a mile into the over seven-mile pursuit.

---

The complaint says it was initially believed that the first suspect apprehended following the pursuit (not Montemayor) was the driver of the vehicle -- based upon the fact that he was supposed to be the one that was coming out to Muskego for the alleged narcotics transaction. However, the suspect vehicle's windows were tinted, and law enforcement officials were unable to determine who was actually driving.

The complaint says a confidential informant told law enforcement officials Montemayor was driving the vehicle during the pursuit.

This is one of three law enforcement pursuits that has occurred this week.

The first occurred early Tuesday morning, July 22nd and involved a motorcycle. A 24-year-old New Berlin man was tkane into custody following a short pursuit and crash on I-43 NB.

The second was the pursuit that began in Waukesha County and ended in Greenfield, in which Montemayor has been charged.

The third occurred Wednesday afternoon, July 23rd in Racine County on I-94 NB.

Related stories: