FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Three people are in custody following a pursuit that went through the Fond du Lac County Airport, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office says.
The pursuit began on Monday morning just before 8 a.m. after a deputy noted a vehicle on Interstate 41 that had been previously involved in another pursuit. The deputy attempted a traffic stop but the suspect fled southbound on Highway 151.
The suspect turned onto Schaefer Road in the Township of Lamartine, then westbound on Orchard Road, where additional deputies joined the effort to stop the suspect, who was driving dangerously.
The Fond du Lac County Communications Center received a 911 call from a female passenger of the suspect vehicle during the pursuit, sheriffs say. The caller was heard screaming for help and begging to be let out of the car.
The suspect car struck a sheriff's squad on County Y, and proceeded to head towards the Fond du Lac County Airport. Deputies notified airport staff to temporarily halt all incoming and outgoing air traffic.
Sheriffs say the suspect vehicle entered airport property and drove into a northbound taxiway, then exited airport property by driving through a field while attempting to re-enter Interstate 41, when a deputy successfully executed a maneuver to finally stop the car and end the pursuit.
Deputies say the occupants of the vehicle were contemplating a shootout with law enforcement during the chase, and an investigation uncovered a backpack that was thrown out just before of the end of the pursuit containing drug paraphernalia and a loaded handgun.
The driver, a 27-year-old man from Menasha, and two passengers, a 31-year-old woman and another 27-year-old man were taken into custody on multiple charges, including felonies.
The pursuit covered a distance of about 17.9 miles, sheriffs say. Four sheriff's squads sustained damage and one deputy was treated and released for injuries suffered during a collision with the suspect car.
