Prosecutors say a 19-year-old Milwaukee man was driving without a license when he blew a red light and fatally struck a motorcyclist May 26.
John Ashley Jr. is charged with one count of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and one count of knowingly operating a vehicle without a license and causing death, in the death of 39-year-old Leandre Brown of Milwaukee.
Online memorial posts from loved ones say Brown, who went by “Turtle,” was a co-owner of Syrs Restaurant and Lounge, 9316 W. Appleton Ave.
The crash occurred around 12:12 a.m. May 26 at the intersection of Fond du Lac Avenue and Roosevelt Drive. According to a criminal complaint, Ashley was driving a sedan southwest on Roosevelt Drive, when he hit Brown, who was headed southeast on Fond du Lac Avenue in a three-wheeled motorcycle.
While Ashley told police he had the green light, security footage of the crash showed Brown actually had a green light, and Ashley drove through a red, the complaint said.
Ashley admitted to officers that he did not have a driver’s license and never had one, according to the complaint.
Ashley is being held in Milwaukee County Jail on a $7,500 bond, court records show. He has a preliminary hearing set for 8:30 a.m. June 5.
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: Milwaukee man ran red light, drove without a license in fatal crash, complaint says
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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