GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ) – Two suspects have been arrested following a series of incidents that included a Grand Chute police officer getting struck by a stolen squad car.
Police say it began around 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pawn America store in Grand Chute. Officers were investigating a possible retail theft, involving two men.
Authorities were trying to speak with the suspects when one of the men started becoming more difficult. The officer on scene requested backup.
“One of the individuals became combative with the officer and in the course of being combative with the officer somehow got into the officer’s squad car. There was a fight at the squad car as the officer was trying to get that individual from the squad car,” Sgt. Dave Lund of the Appleton Police Department told FOX 11.
One of the suspects, described by police as a 36-year-old man, stole the squad car and began to drive away.
“He did either back or somehow strike the vehicle that was driven by the supervisor from the Grand Chute Police Department who had arrived on scene,” Lund said. “That collision did cause injury to the supervisor.”
Lund says the officer suffered non-life threatening injuries.
As more officers arrived on the scene, police say the suspect drove away in the police car.
“There were shots fired at the squad car as it was leaving,” Lund said. “I believe there were multiple shots. I don’t know how many actually hit the squad or hit the subject. We do know at this point that he was hit by that gunfire.”
Despite the suspect being shot, police say he was able to drive into Appleton. He left the squad car near the corner of 4th Street and Outagamie Street, police say. He then allegedly car-jacked another vehicle from a woman.
Police say the suspect drove the stolen vehicle north on I-41 where he led Brown County deputies on a high speed chase.
“The suspect vehicle didn’t stop, was doing in excess of 100, 120 miles an hour, driving very recklessly,” said Lt. Kevin Pawlak of the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.
Pawlak says as the suspect got off the interstate in Freedom, he lost control of the car and crashed.
“There was a short foot pursuit that followed but the suspect did eventually surrender without incident,” Pawlak said.
The other suspect, described by officials as a 25-year-old man, left the scene at Pawn America during the commotion and called a cab. He was arrested a few hours later in Calumet County.
“A lot of logistics that are going on right now as far as trying to figure out exactly what happened and how everything falls in to place,” Lund said.
The incident involves multiple police agencies in several counties. The Wisconsin State Patrol is also assisting in the investigation.
Since the incident involves a shooting by Grand Chute police officers, the investigation is being headed up by Appleton police.
Police say the woman who was car-jacked in Appleton was not injured.
The squad car that was stolen was a K-9 unit with the police dog inside. Police say the dog was not injured.
