Milwaukee man charged, accused of leading police on pursuit, nearly causing crash

MILWAUKEE -- A 39-year-old Milwaukee man is facing charges -- accused of leading police on a pursuit after nearly causing an accident. The pursuit began Saturday morning, July 14 around 4:50 a.m.

Jamicka Whitlock is facing the following charges:

According to the criminal complaint, deputies spotted a vehicle stopped in the right distress lane on I-94 westbound near General Mitchell Boulevard. The emergency flashers were on, the trunk open and a man was standing at the rear of the vehicle. As the deputy approached, the man closed the trunk, got in the car and pulled out into traffic, cutting off a semi and narrowly missing a collision.

The deputy activated his emergency lights and siren and the driver, Jamicka Whitlock, 39, stopped.

The complaint indicates the deputy then made contact with Whitlock -- who said he was just following his GPS to work in Oconomowoc. At that time, the deputy noticed Whitlock's behavior was "odd, and he sounded as if he was slurring his speech." The complaint indicates Whitlock also began reaching around the vehicle nervously and was chewing on a white chalky substance, of which pieces were falling out of his mouth as he talked to the deputy.

Due to Whitlock's erratic driving, and his behavior, the deputy asked him to step out of the vehicle. Whitlock refused and asserted he had nothing to drink, according to the criminal complaint. Meanwhile, two other deputies arrived on scene.

The deputy reports he debated with the Whitlock for approximately ten minutes before Whitlock drove away from the scene quickly, exiting at N. 68th Street.  He drove on streets and alleyways in Wauwatosa and Milwaukee, ignoring stop signs, covering a distance of 12 miles, sheriff's officials said.

Whitlock came to a dead-end near N. 25th Street, and fled on foot across Vliet Street with deputies in pursuit. Deputies saw him put a gun in a bush as he ran, and apprehended him after several blocks. Authorities recovered the firearm from the bushes, and several boxes of ammunition from the vehicle.