Two teens arrested in rural Belgium after tense car, foot chase

Two teenagers were  arrested in the Town of Belgium Monday night after allegedly stealing a car in Manitowoc and another in Sheboygan before racing south on I-43 into Ozaukee County.

At 6:25 p.m., a vehicle pursuit entered Ozaukee County, and the county Sheriff’s Office began to assist the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies stopped the vehicle with a tire deflation device, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

The occupants then fled on foot and were later arrested near Sandy Beach Road. The teenagers were considered armed and dangerous, and an alert telling residents to shelter in place was sent through Ozaukee County’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.

Southbound traffic on I43 was rerouted to Highway D and then to KW or Highway 57. Belgium Fire Chief Dan Birenbaum said all volunteers were called and the department used five trucks and its rescue squad to help with traffic control.

The two suspects, 16 and 17-year-old males, were taken into custody at about 8 p.m. Both were turned over to the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office.

An all-clear message was sent to residents.

The incident began, according to the Sheboygan Police Department, when the teens allegedly stole a car in Manitowoc, then drove to Sheboygan and tried to steal another shortly after 6 p.m. 

The driver drove away from them and the suspects fired shots that struck the vehicle, but nobody was hurt, according to the police department.

Shortly after, another vehicle was stolen after a suspect pointed a firearm at the driver in the 1300 block of North 15th Street in Sheboygan.

Both vehicles left the area and were found on I-43 by the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office.

The stolen vehicle from Manitowoc was stopped with the tire deflation device just south of the Village of Belgium, after which the foot chase ensued.

The vehicle stolen in Sheboygan had not been located as of Tuesday. It is a red 2015 Ford Edge sport utility with Wisconsin license plates 444DSW.

Officers have developed potential suspects and are investigating, according to the release.

A Sheboygan Police lieutenant working the case was not available for comment as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the disturbance is encouraged to call Sheboygan Police at 920-459-3333, or they may provide information anonymously through Sheboygan Countywide Crime Stoppers at 877-CUF-THEM (877-283-8436) or online at cufthem.com.

Those responding came from the Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Port Washington, Plymouth, Saukville, Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg and Grafton police departments, the Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties’ sheriff’s offices, Ozaukee County Special Response Team, Ozaukee County Emergency Management, Belgium and Port Washington fire departments, Belgium Department of Public Works and the Ozaukee County Highway Department.