Welcome to Arrest Stories. A twenty-three-year-old Milwaukee man faces multiple charges after allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate Forty-Three for nearly two miles before colliding with a sheriff's deputy's squad car. Here's what may have happened.
In the early morning hours of January first, Zachariah Counsell entered Interstate Forty-Three at Highland Avenue in Milwaukee around two-thirty a.m. while driving a Mercedes-Benz. According to police reports, Counsell began traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of the interstate.
A Milwaukee County Sheriff's Sergeant spotted Counsell driving in the wrong direction near West Highland Avenue at approximately two-forty a.m. The wrong-way driver continued for upwards of two miles, narrowly missing other vehicles during his dangerous journey down the freeway.
As the situation unfolded, a deputy positioned his squad car in the path of the wrong-way driver near Wright Street. Counsell's Mercedes-Benz collided head-on with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's squad car on Interstate Forty-Three near Center Street.
Following the crash, a deputy was heard saying "Let me check on the driver" as emergency responders arrived at the scene. When officers made contact with Counsell, they reported that he smelled of alcohol. During questioning, Counsell admitted to drinking "a lot" prior to the incident.
Counsell was subsequently arrested and faces charges including operating a motor vehicle while under the influence second offense, and two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. His bond was set at seven thousand five hundred dollars.
The incident shut down portions of Interstate Forty-Three during the investigation and cleanup. The deputy involved in the collision was evaluated at the scene, though the extent of any injuries was not immediately disclosed in police reports.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.