Milwaukee police chase; wanted man arrested, charged
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused of fleeing police on Wednesday, April 24 while he was wanted for a fatal crash.
Prosecutors charged 23-year-old Navarus Campbell with four new crimes related to the chase. He was already charged with six felonies related to the 2023 crash, which killed a man and seriously injured two children.
Court records show he made his initial court appearance for both cases on Friday. His cash bond was set at $75,000 total.
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Police chase
Police were in the area of Fond du Lac and Stark to arrest Campbell in connection to the crash on the afternoon of April 24. A criminal complaint states they had preemptively deployed a tire deflation device near his pickup truck.
Officers watched Campbell from an unmarked squad as Campbell drove over the device, the complaint states. The officers activated their lights and sirens, and Campbell sped off with three of his four tires flat.
Prosecutors said Campbell drove 75 mph down Fond du Lac Avenue as he tried to get away, running multiple red lights. He got out and ran near 58th and Hampton, ignoring officers' commands to stop. Officers ultimately took him into custody at gunpoint.
Fatal crash
The crash happened near 76th and Florist on June 26. Three people – a 32-year-old man, 6-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl – were in a Buick that was struck by a van. Police said the impact caused a collision with a third vehicle.
A criminal complaint states the 3-year-old had a "deep laceration" to her head and needed more than 20 stitches, and the 6-year-old needed more than 10 stitches for injuries to his head and suffered a broken leg. The 32-year-old driver, since identified as Taylor Poirier, died of his injuries days later.
Police spoke to a woman at the scene who said she was the driver of the van, according to the complaint. When confronted with video that showed a man in the driver's seat, though, she admitted she lied and identified Campbell as the driver. Surveillance also showed Campbell get out of the driver's seat after the crash.
Police interviewed Campbell on June 27, 2023. Per the complaint, he said he was driving the van westbound on Florist Avenue and the Buick turned in front of him at a green light. He said he thought he was driving 30 mph, which is the speed limit, but prosecutors said data from the van's airbag control module found he was driving 64 mph two seconds before the crash, and the brakes were applied 1.6 seconds before the crash.
After the crash, the complaint states Campbell was taken to a hospital for a blood draw. The Wisconsin State Crime Lab tested the blood sample and reported he had THC in his blood.
The complaint states police checked Wisconsin Department of Transportation records and learned Campbell only had an instruction permit – which was revoked – and had never been issued an unrestricted driver's license. He was previously cited 27 times for operating while suspended or revoked. Additionally, prosecutors said the 23-year-old was convicted for operating while intoxicated less than a month before the crash.
