Dramatic Wis. Pursuit Ends In Yard With Truck's Tires Shot Out, Man Arrested
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two officers are on the mend following a high-speed chase in western Wisconsin.
The wild pursuit ended last week with bullets flying and tires squealing, all while the suspected truck thief kept trying to get away.
"Coming out in such a secluded neighborhood like this was just a shock, like you think this is pretty safe," said neighbor Deb Danielson.
The chase was on after a Hudson police officer noticed the truck was one reported stolen a few days earlier. The driver did not stop when he tried to pull him over.
"The officer has to weigh many things to decide is he going to continue the pursuit or not," said Det. Sgt. Peter Schultz. "The person did put multiple people, people's lives in danger. The public and multiple officers."
The chase that topped 90 miles an hour started in the city, but quickly moved through farm fields, neighborhoods and people's yards. Schultz said officers finally found their moment to box the truck in, pushing it into a tree.
"They saw this person was not going to give up by any means," Schultz said. "They approached the vehicle, they had their guns drawn, the person had still continued to put the car in reverse and forward and accelerating as hard as it would go."
Officers shot out the tires to bring the truck to a stop.
"Once an officer broke out his passenger-side window and pulled out his Taser, that was an opportunity for the person to, I think, come to his senses," Schultz said.
Officers booked Cassidy Muecke for eluding police and felony theft. A week later, the tire tracks and damage to the tree are still visible.
"So scary, so scary," Danielson said. "You never expect it to happen out here in the middle of the safe country."
The Hudson officer who initiated the chase needed four stitches for a cut on his arm. He is home this week recovering with a sore body from the chase. A St. Croix Sheriff's deputy was also treated at the hospital after he re-aggravated an injury.