Main organizer of Milwaukee street takeovers not even from the city, police say

Milwaukee police addressed street takeovers before the city committee overseeing the department at a hearing Thursday, April 30, saying arrests are being made and plans for mass arrests are also in place. 

Despite reports of 12 takeovers last weekend, police clarified on Thursday that there were nine street takeovers over this past weekend. 

Some of the incidents went viral on social media, including in Bay View, in front of Milwaukee City Hall and at 76th and Good Hope Ave. on the city’s northwest side.  

Police reported 17 calls related to the takeovers between 11 p.m. Saturday and 2:40 a.m. Sunday, Patrol Bureau Inspector Sheronda D. Grant told the Public Safety and Health Committee on Thursday. 

Police responded to 165 other calls for service during that same time period, including shootings involving youth. Grant said the takeovers are affecting response times to other incidents in the city. 

Police have made multiple arrests related to this past weekend’s takeovers. One person was arrested for reckless driving and two people received citations for spectating, including one person from Caledonia. 

Grant and MPD Chief of Staff Heather Hough also informed the committee that the primary organizer of the street takeovers has been arrested and is not from Milwaukee. Hough didn’t provide a specific location and the department didn’t immediately respond to questions on Thursday.  

Grant said the department believes the takeovers are organized by the same group of people who spread the word about the event online and then travel to different intersections throughout the city. Once police arrive on scene, most drivers flee the scene before popping up at a different intersection.

Police added that “three other main actors” are being sought for recklessly endangering safety and will be arrested. Police said the four people soon to be in custody are from age 22 to 26, not teens. 

Grant also admitted a “communication gap” between individual police districts quickly sharing information with each other. 

“What took place Saturday evening into Sunday morning was that our districts were operating in silos,” Grant said, adding the problem has been fixed. 

Multiple residents took to social media to remark that it’s astonishing the takeovers can go on for so long before police show up. Some media even reported 30 to 60 minutes. Grant said please call the police when they occur. She said some incidents are never reported. 

Outside of the city, Milwaukee County prosecutors have filed at least one felony charge stemming from a vehicle takeover in Glendale on April 26. Authorities say Allen Mendoza, 20, of Illinois, traveled to Milwaukee to watch the takeover and then led officers on a pursuit lasting about 2.6 miles, reaching speeds exceeding 100 mph.

Mendoza faces two felony charges: operating a motor vehicle to flee or elude an officer and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Moving forward, should more takeovers arise, Grant said be ready for “robust plans,” including “mass arrests.” It was something that Ald. Scott Spiker agreed to as the amount of arrests seemed low for nine takeovers. 

“Are we really having a deterrent effect if we catch one big fish and a couple spectators?” Spiker said. “Unless we make an example of somebody, I don’t know why the behavior would change.”

Drake Bentley can be reached at drake.bentley@civicmedia.us.