Search fatalities

Demonta Lamar Hambright Jr.

Age : 16

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 06/15/2021

Location : North 76th Street and West Good Hope Road

City : Milwaukee

County : Milwaukee

State : Wisconsin

Agency : Milwaukee Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

.
REASON FOR CHASE: Milwaukee Police Department officers attempted to stop a Kia Sportage near the 9900 block of West Good Hope Road after determining that the vehicle had been reported stolen. Hambright continued driving and police initiated a pursuit.
.
NARRATIVE:
On 06/15/2021, shortly before 9 p.m., Milwaukee Police Department officers encountered a stolen Kia Sportage near North 99th Street and West Good Hope Road. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, which was being driven by 16-year-old Demonta Lamar Hambright Jr. Hambright continued driving and officers pursued the Kia eastbound on Good Hope Road.
.
During the pursuit, Hambright drove into the lanes of opposing traffic. Milwaukee police terminated the pursuit when he began traveling against traffic. Dash-camera video subsequently released by police documented the pursuit and showed the fatal collision occurring moments after officers canceled the chase.
.
Hambright continued traveling the wrong way after police terminated the pursuit. Near North 76th Street and West Good Hope Road, the Kia collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle carrying three teenagers. Investigators estimated that Hambright was traveling approximately 50 to 60 mph at the time of impact.
.
Hambright sustained critical injuries and was transported to Children's Wisconsin, where he died. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified him following the crash. The medical examiner's investigation determined that Hambright was not wearing a seat belt. He did not have a driver's license.
.
Two 12-year-old passengers were riding in the stolen Kia. One sustained life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized in critical condition. The other sustained two broken legs and was hospitalized in stable condition. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Early reporting described both passengers as girls, while later reporting concerning the released dash-camera footage described one passenger as a 12-year-old girl and the rear passenger as a 12-year-old boy.
.
The oncoming vehicle contained three teenagers who were returning from watching a Milwaukee Bucks game. Its 18-year-old driver sustained life-threatening injuries. An 18-year-old passenger sustained serious injuries, and a 19-year-old passenger sustained life-threatening injuries. All three were transported to Froedtert Hospital.
.
Hambright's mother disputed characterizations of her son as a car thief and said someone had given him the Kia. In October 2021, after Milwaukee police released dash-camera video of the pursuit, her attorney confirmed that he had been retained and that a notice of injury had been filed in anticipation of litigation against the Milwaukee Police Department over the decision to pursue Hambright. Available reporting at that time said a lawsuit had not yet been filed.
.
The fatal crash later became one of the Milwaukee stolen-Kia incidents cited in litigation brought by municipalities against Kia and Hyundai concerning vehicle thefts. Court filings specifically referenced both the June 2021 crash and the subsequently released police dash-camera footage.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Milwaukee Police Department officers who attempted the stop and participated in the pursuit have not been identified by name in the contemporary news reports, later dash-camera coverage, or publicly searchable litigation reviewed for this reconstruction. Because the involved officers remain unidentified, no individual prior shooting, pursuit, complaint, discipline or civil-litigation history can be reliably attributed to them.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality, 5 injuries

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wisn.com/article/teen-car-theft-suspect-killed-in-head-on-crash-5-others-injured/36741640
https://www.wisn.com/article/dashcam-video-shows-fatal-crash-moments-after-police-cancel-pursuit/37955614
https://www.fox6now.com/news/police-pursuit-crash-in-milwaukee-leaves-1-dead-5-hurt
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/16/milwaukee-reckless-driving-boy-16-dies-after-stolen-car-crash/5295939001/