Suspect returns for cellphone, gets arrested
Shoplifter fatally beats store employee
A north side store clerk who was fatally beaten with a baseball bat Thursday during a struggle with an alleged shoplifter was identified by Milwaukee police as Harjinder Singh, 34.
The beating occurred about 9 a.m. outside the business in the 2600 block of W. Lisbon Ave., according to a news release from Milwaukee police.
The struggle ensued when Singh chased down the shoplifter, who grabbed a bat and started beating him, police said.
The release did not indicate how the shoplifter got the bat. Police would only say the incident is under investigation and that they are seeking a suspect.
Officials ID man found frozen on south side
A man whose body was found frozen in a trailer park on Milwaukee’s south side was identified by the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office Thursday as Nicholas M. Patin, 38.
Patin’s body was found about 10 a.m. Wednesday in the front yard of a trailer in the 6100 block of S. 6th St. that he had been sharing with roommates, according to a medical examiner’s report.
He had recently been released from jail after pleading guilty to felony possession of narcotics, according to the report and state court records.
The temperature in Milwaukee was 12 degrees, with a wind chill value of minus-4 degrees when his body was found. His death is believed to be accidental, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Police link teens to crime spree
Detectives are continuing to investigate whether four teens arrested in an armed robbery earlier this week can be linked to other crimes, Milwaukee police said Thursday.
The suspects were arrested Tuesday after ramming a police squad car with a stolen car used in a prior robbery, police said.
According to Milwaukee police:
A 50-year-old man was walking in the 8100 block of W. Nash St. on Tuesday afternoon when he was approached by three teens, one with a gun. They took the man’s cellphone and fled in a stolen 2016 Ford Focus.
Police found the unoccupied stolen car later that day in the 2700 block of W. Clarke St. and watched the car until four people got inside of it.
The officers tried to pull the car over but the driver instead rammed the car into the squad car. The four teens were arrested after a brief foot chase. Police found a rifle and several cellphones in the vehicle.
Police arrested two 15-yearold males, a 16-year-old male and a 13-year-old girl. Three of the four were under county supervision, and the 15-year-old driver has prior arrests for carjacking and robberies.
Police expect to refer the case to prosecutors in the coming days.
Police arrest driver in fatal crash; alcohol suspected
Milwaukee police arrested a 26-year-old Milwaukee man on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs after a fatal crash Thursday morning.
The man was driving an SUV west on W. Capitol Drive at a high speed when he crashed into a Chevy Astro that was trying to cross Capitol Drive on N. 13th St., according to a police news release.
The driver of the Chevy, a 52-year-old Milwaukee man, was killed in the crash, which was reported about 8:15 a.m. Thursday, police said.
The names of both drivers have not been released and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
Kitchen fire damages Milwaukee home
A fire inside a Milwaukee home near I-43 caused $190,000 in damages, fire officials said Thursday.
A kitchen fire was reported about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 2900 block of N. 8th St., Milwaukee Deputy Fire Aaron Lipski said.
No one was injured, he said. The cause remains under investigation. Charges are pending against a robbery suspect who fired a shot inside a liquor store and was arrested when he returned to the area minutes later to retrieve a cellphone he dropped, Milwaukee police said Thursday.
An employee inside A-1 Liquor Store, 3107 S. 92nd St., told police a man came into the store shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, fired a gun and demanded money, according to a police news release.
The man took cash and ran Greg Seebach of Wauwatosa walks back to his shanty as he ends his day of fishing at McKinley Marina with fishing buddy Kirk Wills. from the scene but apparently dropped his cellphone along the way. As officers were interviewing the 62-year-old store employee, the suspect returned to the area for his phone, police said.
The employee recognized the 25-year-old man and police arrested him. A gun was also found in the man’s car, police said.