March 10, 2021 – Fond du Lac Co., WI – On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 6:34pm, a deputy from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle on USH 151 SB near STH 23 for speeding in excess of 90mph in a 55mph zone. The vehicle failed to stop and a high speed pursuit ensued. The chase continued into the city of Fond du Lac for a short distance and then proceeded south on rural highways.
During the pursuit, the suspect attempted to strike a sheriff’s squad and the suspect’s reckless driving behavior was placing other motorists at risk.
A deputy utilized a trained pursuit intervention technique (PIT), and was successful in ending the 14-mile chase when the vehicle slid into the east ditch on STH 175 just south of STH 49 in Dodge County.
The male driver then armed himself with a large butcher knife and a female passenger remained inside the vehicle. Deputies formed a perimeter, closed highways, and began negotiations with the driver.
A short time later a baby was removed from a rear seat car seat and the suspect held the baby in front of him while still possessing the butcher knife.
Until that time, deputies were unaware a baby was inside the vehicle.
Deputies remained in contact with the driver, who failed to comply with repeated orders to free the female and her baby or step out of the vehicle himself. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office SWAT/Rescue and Negotiations Teams were deployed to the scene to attempt to safely resolve the situation.
SWAT negotiators spent the next several hours speaking with both the suspect and female inside the vehicle. At approximately 10:15pm, negotiators successfully convinced the suspect to leave the vehicle, and SWAT tactical/rescue members took him into custody without further incident. The adult female and her baby were safely escorted from the vehicle by other SWAT members. No one involved sustained any injuries, and two squad cars sustained minor damage during the PIT and subsequent block-in maneuvers that ended the pursuit. The 34-year-old suspect from the Green Bay area will be referred to the District Attorney’s Office for numerous charges upon completion of the interviews and investigation.
Other agencies who assisted at the scene include the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, Lomira Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Brownsville Fire Department and First Responders, and Mayville EMS.
This incident posed a significant risk to many involved. Thankfully, in this scenario the suspect gave deputies the opportunity to utilize de-escalation techniques, verbal communications, and other rescue equipment and tactics to safely resolve the incident without injury to anyone involved. Law enforcement is not always afforded these opportunities in a critical situation like this. Additionally, the professional working relationships maintained between the various agencies involved allowed for a collaborative effort to bring this situation to a safe and successful resolution.
Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt