Wisconsin golf course high-speed chase ends in arrests

Two neighbors had just started a round of golf at Lincoln Park Golf Course in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, suburb of Glendale when they witnessed an arrest in a port-a-potty.

It was part of a scene that unfolded Wednesday in which two people were arrested after four occupants fled from a vehicle that crashed into multiple others on North Port Washington Road — a vehicle Glendale police said was stolen from Plymouth, Minnesota.

A Glendale police officer first spotted the stolen SUV driving south along North Port Washington Road around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Glendale Police Capt. Tom Treder said. As the officer turned to approach the SUV, it took off.

An officer further down the road put down tire deflation devices on the pavement. The vehicle swerved to avoid them and crossed into the northbound lanes of Port Washington Road, striking another car then careening across the median and into a barrier along adjacent Interstate 43.

All four occupants fled the car, with two running east and two running west across the Lincoln Park Golf Course. One of the suspects who ran east was taken into custody by Glendale police. Whitefish Bay neighbors Ilissa Boland and Adam Westermayer were on the golf course when they heard the loud crash on Port Washington Road. A few minutes later, they saw two people run past them, Boland said.

They witnessed one of the suspects fleeing west, running toward the woods beside the course. The other beelined for a nearby port-a-potty, she said.

“We’re looking at each other like, ‘Are you serious? That’s where he’s gonna hide?’” said Boland, a realtor in the area.

The golfers watched a police car hurtle past them, and Westermayer approached the port-a-potty. Finding the door locked, he walked to the back and pushed it over, trapping the suspect inside; since the door now faced the ground, Boland said.

“Good luck man,” Westermayer said, before walking away.

Once officers arrived at the scene, they rolled the portable toilet over, allowing the suspect to crawl out before he was taken into custody, Glendale police said.

Authorities are still searching for the other two suspects who fled from the SUV.

Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.