New videos released Wednesday captured parts of a high-speed police pursuit that traveled through Lake County and Kenosha County and ended in a major multi-vehicle crash that critically injured the suspect.
The Pleasant Prairie Police Department said they were involved around 3:20 p.m. on October 11 in a pursuit that resulted in a serious vehicle crash.
Pleasant Prairie officers were notified of a silver 2014 Jeep Cherokee in Lake County traveling northbound on Sheridan Road approaching the Illinois-Wisconsin state line after it was detected by the FLOCK system.
The vehicle was involved in a pursuit with the Pleasant Prairie Police Department just two days prior when the agency was conducting a follow-up on suspects from a retail theft case.
Pleasant Prairie officers located the Jeep and attempted a traffic stop near the 11600 block of Sheridan Road, according to a police report.
The vehicle failed to stop and accelerated away from officers, resulting in a vehicle pursuit, police officials said.
The Jeep turned eastbound on 116th Street and then quickly accelerated as it turned northbound on 8th Avenue before proceeding westbound on 115th Street.
The report said the vehicle failed to stop for the stop sign on 115th Street and Sheridan Road before continuing southbound on Sheridan Road.
The Jeep nearly struck vehicles after blowing the stop sign and both had to slam on their brakes to avoid a crash.
Officers continued to pursue the vehicle southbound on Sheridan Road and it passed a line of traffic on the shoulder while traveling at approximately 80-90 mph, the report said.
The chase went into Illinois and officers discontinued the pursuit in Winthrop Harbor until the area of 13th Street and Sheridan Road.
The report said the Winthrop Harbor Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle after officers spotted it striking a curb in the 1600 block of Sheridan Road.
The chase went southbound on Sheridan Road and then westbound on 21st Street where officers lost visual of the vehicle.
Officers then spotted the Jeep northbound on Sheridan Road driving recklessly back into Wisconsin.
An officer deployed spike strips, which deflated multiple tires on the Jeep, in the 10400 block of Sheridan Road. The top speed in the pursuit was 105 mph, according to the report.
Police officials said officers pursued the vehicle northbound and the chase ended when the vehicle struck several utility poles in the 8000 block of Sheridan Road in Kenosha.
The Jeep also struck two other vehicles but no injuries were reported by those occupants. The Kenosha Fire Department responded to the scene.
The driver, Gil O. Melendez, 39, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was not wearing his seatbelt and his injuries were initially considered life-threatening, police officials said.
A Flight For Life medical helicopter responded and landed nearby at a business near 85th Street and Sheridan Road.
The helicopter flew Melendez to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Melendez’s condition was no longer considered life-threatening days after the crash and he was stabilized in the hospital.
The female passenger in the Jeep suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. No officers were injured.
Police officials said officers found 4.2 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.
Melendez was on parole out of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, for burglary and had an active warrant for his arrest through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for a parole violation.
Melendez was charged with criminal damage to property, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, vehicle operator fleeing/eluding an officer, reckless driving endangering safety and felony hit and run causing injury.
The Wisconsin State Patrol concluded its investigation into the crash this week and officials released police bodycam and dashcam videos to Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Wednesday.