A car chased by Milwaukee police fell 35 feet off a bridge and burst into flames Thursday, killing three people inside the vehicle, police said.
The officers saw the occupants of Toyota Avalon in a suspected drug deal and tried to stop the car at the intersection of West Mineral and South 22 nd streets just before 6 p.m., according to the Milwaukee Police Department.
A vehicle pursuit was initiated and the suspects fled recklessly, the department said in an emailed statement. After approximately one minute, the suspect vehicle fled across the 16th Street viaduct, crossed the center line and began to exit the roadway. The car hit an 18-year-old woman as it crossed the viaduct before crashing through the safety fence and falling off the bridge. It then caught fire on West Canal Street.
The Milwaukee Fire Department responded and the three occupants of the suspect vehicle were pronounced dead, police said.
Authorities didn't identify them, but they appeared to be three adult males. According to police, the 18-year-old pedestrian was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The police department's criminal investigations bureau is still investigating the incident.