Milwaukee, WI

A Milwaukee man crashed into a school bus while fleeing police. How long will he be in prison?

Published

2 years ago

July 30, 2024

A Milwaukee man crashed into a school bus while fleeing police. How long will he be in prison?

The Milwaukee man who confessed to causing a six-vehicle crash that flipped a school bus and injured four people, including a 3-year-old and mother is heading to prison.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glenn H. Yamahiro on Tuesday sentenced Elijahwan H. Shabazz to 11½ years behind bars.

He also ordered Shabazz to serve eight years of extended supervision when he is released.

Yamahiro described the crime as “one of the worst” cases of reckless driving he had ever seen in his more than 20 years on the bench.

“It’s a minor miracle no one is dead from this,” Yamahiro said.

Shabazz, 27, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree recklessly endangering safety, neglecting a child, eluding an officer, hit-and-run involving injury and bail jumping.

Here’s what happened that day

Prosecutors say Shabazz was behind the wheel of a car on Nov. 29 that police were attempting to pull over on the 9100 block of West Thurston Avenue. Officers believed the vehicle was connected to a homicide in Chicago.

The driver wouldn’t stop and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended in a collision with a school bus on North 76th Street and West Capitol Drive. The collision caused the school bus to flip onto its side, triggering a second collision with several other vehicles, police said.

No children were aboard the school bus at the time; the 72-year-old school bus driver had just dropped off the passengers, and was taken to a hospital with nonfatal injuries.

A 3-year-old child who was in the car with Shabazz was injured and suffered a gash on her face.

“This is the kind of behavior that make people afraid of traveling on certain streets in our community,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson said.

Torbenson said it’s not believed Shabazz was involved in the Chicago homicide.

Court records show Shabazz had other open cases against him at the time of the crash:

In 2018 and 2019, Shabazz was charged in two separate cases involving allegations of illegal drug and firearm possession. In each case, he was freed on signature bonds totaling $1,350. That meant he did not have to pay the money upfront to get out of jail.
In February 2021, he pleaded guilty to charges associated with the 2019 case, but a sentencing hearing was delayed.
In April and July 2021, Shabazz was charged with two more felonies. The first involved more allegations of drug possession. In the second case, he was accused of hitting a 16-year-old pedestrian with his car and was charged with hit-and-run causing great harm.

Shabazz posted a $2,500 bail three days after being charged in the April case. In the July case, he posted a $2,800 bail before his first court appearance – which wasn’t scheduled until March 2022.

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Milwaukee, WI

Travelers see shorter lines at Milwaukee Mitchell despite the ongoing partial government shutdown

Published

2 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Travelers see shorter lines at Milwaukee Mitchell despite the ongoing partial government shutdown

MILWAUKEE — Despite a partial government shutdown causing long TSA lines at airports across the country, travelers at Milwaukee Mitchell airport are experiencing short wait times ahead of spring break.

John Wahlen and his colleague Joe Orendorf were coming back home from North Carolina and prepared for a much different scene.

“We were remarkably surprised that it was as easy as it was,” Wahlen said.

Brendyn Jones/TMJ4

A national TSA spokesperson told TMJ4 that over 3,450 TSA officers called out across the country on Thursday. The national call-out rate was at 11.83% percent, the highest since the shutdown began.

While the TSA could not provide specific numbers for Milwaukee Mitchell, the airport was not in the top-10 for call-out rates.

The highest percentages of call-offs came from much larger airports, including George Bush Intercontinental in Houston at 44 percent, Atlanta at almost 41 percent, and Baltimore at 37 percent.

“We were in smaller airports, Raleigh-Durham, I think we waited for two people, and one of them was him,” Orendorf said.

Watch: Travelers see shorter lines at Milwaukee Mitchell despite the ongoing partial government shutdown

Travelers see shorter lines at Milwaukee Mitchell despite the ongoing partial government shutdown

A spokesperson for Milwaukee Mitchell told TMJ4 that around 11,000 people are expected this Friday and Saturday, and next Friday and Saturday as spring break travel peaks.

President Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA agents, meaning a resolution may be on the horizon. Travelers, including Selena Mauricio, said they are thankful for the agents who are still showing up.

“Their jobs aren’t easy, and I commend the ones that still come to work, definitely,” Mauricio said.

This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.

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Milwaukee, WI

Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

Published

14 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

MILWAUKEE — A truck drove through the Grace Coffee Co. in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on early Friday morning, the owners announced in a social media post.

Due to the extensive damage that was done, the coffee shop will be closed until further notice.

TMJ4

“We’re incredibly grateful no one was hurt, and we’ll keep you updated as we begin repairs,” the coffee shop said in the post.

TMJ4 reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department but have yet to hear back.

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Milwaukee, WI

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close $46M gap

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close M gap

MPS cuts face backlash

Milwaukee Public Schools plans about 200 layoffs to close a $46 million budget gap, but union leaders say cuts could impact student safety while district leaders say no classroom teachers will be eliminated.

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools is planning to cut roughly 200 positions next school year as the district works to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap — but there’s disagreement over which roles will be impacted.

What we know:

District leaders say the goal is to close a roughly $46 million shortfall, prompting changes that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says are necessary.

Milwaukee Public Schools said about 201 staff members will be impacted. District leaders say no classroom teachers, counselors or social workers will be cut — something the teachers’ union disputes.

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The reductions stem from a previously approved plan to eliminate about 260 non-classroom roles. The final number dropped after retirements and existing vacancies. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved that plan on March 9.

What they’re saying:

“We have a $50 million deficit, we are for sure not going to be able to do business the same way that we’ve been able to do business,” Cassellius said. “Change is just hard. It’s just hard. And every single one of our employees is so important.”

But some educators say the cuts go too far.

“MTEA is setting up a distress signal. We are talking about our teachers, art teachers, music teachers, physical education teachers, counselors — things that the voters of referendum of Milwaukee actually voted for,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association. “Staffing is being cut to the extent that they are concerned about student safety.”

Cassellius acknowledged the uncertainty and asked school leaders for patience.

“We just have to for sure know our budget situation, where we’re at with that after these cuts are made in order to make those decisions,” she said. “So I’m asking my principals, be patient with us.”

By the numbers:

The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:

70 central office roles
62 educators with a teaching license but not assigned to one classroom
59 assistant principals

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MPS says the savings will support new class size guidelines, including:

18 students per teacher in K3
20 students per teacher in K4
22 students per teacher in K5

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

District leaders say no students will be asked to leave a school to meet class size guidelines. Officials say they are working with schools that may not have space or that require larger classes based on specific programs.

What’s next:

Milwaukee Public Schools plans to present its proposed 2026–27 budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by Milwaukee Public Schools and prior FOX6 coverage.

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