Stolen car street confrontation: Victim used AirTag to find vehicle, Milwaukee man charged
By Tanner Kahler
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Prosecutors filed charges Friday against a Milwaukee man accused of stealing a car before being confronted by the victim in the middle of a street. Video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.
Lavontae Williams, 22, is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, driving or operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and bail jumping. Each charge carried a habitual repeat criminal modifier.
Car Stolen at Grocery Store
According to the criminal complaint, the victim’s car was stolen March 3 at the Pick ‘N Save near 56th and Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. The victim, who is an Instacart driver, had gone into the store with her boyfriend to pick up an order. The pair left the car running in the parking lot, where it was stolen. Prosecutors said the victim then used an Apple AirTag, inside the vehicle, to track down the stolen car. The woman and her boyfriend then traveled to the intersection of Capitol Drive and Teutonia Avenue where they spotted the stolen car.
Confrontation in the Street
The victim told police she and her boyfriend approached the vehicle “with the intent to recover it.” One went to the driver’s door, the other went to the passenger door. That led to a struggle with the driver, who then hit the gas pedal, causing the car to spin in circles in the middle of the street. During the chaos, the vehicle crashed into a Milwaukee County Transit Bus. The woman and the boyfriend eventually got the driver out of the car. There was a brief fight and then the driver ran off.
Play Video Suspect Identified
According to the complaint, during the struggle to get the driver out of the car, the stolen car victim’s boyfriend reached into the suspect’s pocket and removed an ID card. The card belonged to the defendant, Lavontae Williams.
Stolen car spins through Milwaukee intersection in bold confrontationStolen car spins through Milwaukee intersection in bold confrontation Call to Hospital
The following day, prosecutors said police responded to Aurora Sinai Hospital to speak with a nurse. The nurse said she had seen the viral video of the street confrontation. The nurse stated the man who was behind the wheel of the car had walked into the hospital that day saying he was assaulted. The man was wearing the same clothes as the person in the video, the complaint said.
Appearance in Court
Williams appeared in court on Monday, March 9 where cash bond was set at $1,500. His next hearing is scheduled for March 16.
At the time of the crime, prosecutors said Williams was out on bond for a misdemeanor retail theft case out of Waukesha County. He was also previously convicted of felony battery/theft to a judge in June 2022.
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