Two street takeovers in Milwaukee and Glendale over the weekend resulted in police responses.
Milwaukee police say the department received at least a dozen 911 calls around 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, for a takeover incident at South Kinnickinnic and East Lincoln avenues in Bay View. Milwaukee police said officers were on the scene within four minutes of learning about the takeover in Bay View. They issued seven citations and towed one vehicle.
A building near the intersection, on the 2200 block of South Howell Avenue, also caught fire. Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said his department is not able to confirm at this time if the fire was tied to the fireworks set off at the street takeover.
Soon after officers responded in Bay View, Glendale police were called about another takeover at the intersection of Silver Spring Drive and Port Washington Road, according to the Glendale Police Department.
Street takeovers are large gatherings during which crowds block off intersections to watch drivers perform doughnuts and other stunts in their vehicles, often recording videos and sharing to social media. Dozens of the gatherings in summer 2025 prompted calls for more action from police, including by members of the Milwaukee Common Council.
Glendale Police Chief Rhett Fugman said officers pursued a vehicle that was exiting the area and were able to stop the car using a PIT maneuver, or a precision immobilization technique, in which a police car makes contact with a fleeing vehicle in a way that forces the vehicle to turn 180 degrees and stop.
Fugman said officers arrested a 20-year-old man from Illinois and are referring charges to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, who represents Milwaukee’s 14th District, which includes Bay View, expressed concerns about the city’s responses to dangerous street takeover events.
“That is just totally terrifying and unacceptable behavior,” she said. “It’s literally putting people’s lives in danger.”
Video obtained by TMJ4 of the Bay View street takeover showed two vehicles circling each other in the street, watched by a crowd.
In a April 27 Facebook post, Dimitrijevic said vehicles and people were at the Bay View intersection for roughly 30 minutes, dispersing after police arrived at the scene.
Dimitrijevic said police told her fireworks were set off during the event, but no gunshots were believed to have been fired.
“Fireworks are illegal to use in the city of Milwaukee, and that is what caused a lot of sound and scare,” she said.
Lipski said the fire department was dispatched to the fire just after 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, and had it under control after about 30 minutes. Lipski said the top floor of the building sustained substantial damage. One firefighter reported a minor foot injury, but no other injuries were reported, he said.
Dimitrijevic said she other council members plan to open a communication file to look further into the issue, including how many tickets were issued and how many cars were towed in connection to street takeovers in summer 2025, and to establish a “proactive plan” for the coming summer.
“This is also a problem nationwide,” she said. “We’ve got to really do some deep work here and figure out how to improve upon the situation.”
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1 arrested, ticketed during street takeovers in Bay View and Glendale
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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