Police Reports: Road Rage Incident Leads to Arrest for Battery

A man enraged by a minor traffic accident attacked and beat the driver who struck his car from behind, even though damage to his car was slight, according to a Wauwatosa police report.

At 5:03 p.m. Thursday, a 22-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for battery after he attacked and began beating a 23-year-old Pewaukee man who had just rear-ended his car in a four-car accident in the 7500 block of West North Avenue, the report said.

The victim admitted he had rear-ended his attacker's car but said the man had stopped in front of him in traffice, suddenly and for no apparent reason. He was unable to stop in time to keep from hitting the battery suspect's car, he said, and two other drivers also came to grief behind him.

He said the collision was hard enough to deploy his air bag, and while he was getting over that shock, the aggrieved driver approached him, cursing "What the (expletive) did you hit me for?"

He then started punching the victim in the face and chest, the report said.

The victim suffered bruises and chest pain and was taken to Froedtert Hospital, while the battery suspect was arrested and booked.

The police report did not indicate whether any driver involved was ticketed in the accident for a traffic violation.

In other recent incidents:

Sunday

At 5:17 p.m., a 16-year-old Milwaukee girl was arrested for theft at Mayfair Mall after she was seen possibly concealing merchandise in her purse at Gymboree. Police found her in the Aeropostale store and she consented to a search. She had a sweater, a long-sleeve T-shirt and a pair of jeans from Gymboree, together worth $67.39 retail. She was cited for theft and banned from the mall for a year.

At 11:31 a.m., a 53-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for theft at Macy’s in Mayfair after store security stopped him at the exit and found him carrying a bag stuffed with 10 Polo shirts, worth $855 retail. Because of the man’s record of at least 15 prior arrests for retail theft and the size of the haul, he was not ticketed but sent to jail while police planned to seek state criminal charges.

Saturday

At 11:47 p.m., a 20-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested on an outstanding warrant for retail theft after police stopped and questioned him following a complaint that he had been panhandling at the McDonald’s restaurant at 3800 N. 124th St. He was given a verbal warning for panhandling.

Friday

At 8:57 a.m., a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was arrested for theft from the Walgreen’s store at 2656 Wauwatosa Ave. after he stuffed bunches of candy products in his pockets and fled when the manager tried to stop him. Police found and stopped the suspect a few blocks away, and took him back to the store to return the candy. After being given a citation, he was taken to Washington High School in Milwaukee, where he was supposed to be in class. But a short time later, he appeared at the Walgreen’s again, demanding “his” candy back. Police again turned him over to security at Washington.

A Port Washington man reported that between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., while he was at the West Suburban YMCA, 2420 N. 124th St., someone smashed a window in his car and stole his company laptop computer.

Last Thursday

A resident of an apartment in the 7200 block of West Center Street reported her front door had been kicked in and her home burglarized some time between 9:30 a.m and 4:52 p.m. She was missing a television set, a laptop computer, a video game system and two checkbooks. The victim reported that a couple of weeks earlier she had seen an unknown and suspicious man in the basement of the apartment building, carrying a pillow case with some kind of objects in it over his shoulder.