Crime & Safety

Chicago Men Charged After Crashing Into A Truck in Caledonia

All three men were convicted felons.

The Racine County District Attorney’s Office filed felony drug and gun charges against two homeless men and a Chicago man today.

Michael D Fleming, 20, of Chicago, Jason Dallas Cooper, 21, were passengers in and Marcellius Burnett, 20, was driving a stolen Lexus when they crashed into a parked car going 100 mph trying to flee police.

Fleming and Cooper were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, Fleming and Cooper face up to 26 years in prison and fines up to $26,000.

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Burnett was charged with attempting to flee or elude a police officer, second degree reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm by a felon, operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, and possession of marijuana. If convicted of all charges, Burnett face up to 27 years six months in prison and fines up to $71,000.

According to the criminal complaint, the chase began in Racine after the men had stolen gas from a station on Douglas Avenue and Rapids Drive at about 7 a.m. Burnett sped through several stop signs and traffic signals without stopping at about 100 miles per hour. Weaving in and out of traffic, the car sped through a stop sign at Green Bay Road at Rapids Court and began to fishtail when it crashed into a truck. Spinning out of control, the car rolled in reverse off the roadway and almost struck a fire hydrant.

Find out what's happening in Caledoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As the car rolled back, Cooper, Burnett and Fleming got out of the car and ran. Police caught Cooper and Fleming. Burnett scaled a four-foot tall fence, ran into a park area near the Root River and into the river. Police pulled Burnett out of the river and took him into custody.

Police found a .380 semi-automatic handgun, a bottle of vodka that was open, three plastic cups, and marijuana in the car.


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