TOWN OF GRAND CHUTE, Wis. — The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office released dashcam footage of a high-speed police pursuit that stretched nearly 18 miles and ended with the arrest of three individuals on the grounds of the Fond du Lac County Airport, FOX 6 reported.
The incident began on May 19, when a deputy spotted a vehicle that had previously been involved in a police pursuit initiated in the Town of Grand Chute. After observing an equipment violation, the deputy attempted a traffic stop as the vehicle exited the interstate. The driver immediately fled southbound, initiating a pursuit that wound through several rural roads and townships.
Additional deputies joined the pursuit as the suspect continued to drive erratically, at times leaving the roadway and even striking a sheriff’s squad car before regaining control and continuing on.
During the pursuit, dispatchers received a 911 call from a female passenger inside the suspect vehicle. She could be heard screaming for help and begging to be let out. Deputies deployed stop sticks at an intersection along the route, but it failed to stop the vehicle.
Due to the suspect’s proximity to the Fond du Lac County Airport, authorities coordinated a temporary halt of all air traffic as a precaution. The suspect entered a northbound taxiway on airport property, where a deputy attempted a PIT maneuver. The maneuver was unsuccessful, and the suspect exited the property by driving through a field before attempting to re-enter the interstate. At that point, a second PIT maneuver was successful, forcing the vehicle into the gore area of the highway where deputies boxed it in and brought the pursuit to an end.
All three occupants were taken into custody without further incident. The driver was found to be on parole for multiple felony convictions, including several prior fleeing offenses, reckless endangerment and drug-related charges. Authorities later discovered a backpack containing a loaded handgun and drug paraphernalia had been thrown from the vehicle near the end of the pursuit. A Fond du Lac Police Department K-9 located the bag during a search of the swampy area near the interstate.
The driver now faces several charges, including felony fleeing and eluding, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of narcotics and felony bail jumping.
In total, the pursuit covered approximately 17.9 miles, according to the report. Four sheriff’s vehicles sustained damage, and one deputy was treated and released from the hospital after a collision with the suspect vehicle. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the incident by the City of Fond du Lac Police Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol. The case remains under investigation.
