Four 13-year-old boys arrested; suspected in armed robbery, police pursuit

MILWAUKEE -- (WITI) -- Four 13-year-old boys are in custody for their alleged involvement in a strong-armed robbery that led to a police pursuit on Friday, January 15.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that around 10:30 a.m., a sheriff's deputy spotted a vehicle at 14th and Burnham that was wanted in conjunction with a strong-armed robbery earlier in the day. Milwaukee police say that robbery happened near 16th and Lincoln around 10 a.m. The victim, a 32-year-old Milwaukee woman, was approached by a suspect that struck her and then stole her purse.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle involved in that robbery, but the driver fled. The pursuit ended at a department store parking lot at 103rd and Silver Spring where three deputy squads and an MPD squad boxed the vehicle in. The driver subsequently crashed into several of the squads in an attempt to flee again.

The four occupants fled on foot, and three deputies and an MPD officer apprehended all of them. One of the deputies involved in the foot pursuit just graduated from the Sheriff's Office Training Academy on Tuesday. Deputies are searching the route for items discarded by the subjects during the pursuit.

The pursuit covered nearly 15 miles from the southeast to northwest side of Milwaukee.

The Sheriff's Office is issuing felony charges of Fleeing and Recklessly Endangering Safety (RES) in the pursuit incident. The robbery case is being investigated by the Milwaukee Police Department.