Wrong-way driver passes vice president’s motorcade in Milwaukee

By Nick Bohr

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on the interstate nearly struck a vehicle containing Vice President Kamala Harris Monday night in Milwaukee.

WISN 12 News obtained video from about 8:20 p.m. Monday showing the driver getting onto I-794 at St. Paul Avenue via the offramp. The white car heads west into the eastbound lanes just as the motorcade is approaching on what was an otherwise closed-off freeway.

The vehicle is seen moving to the left lanes as the first squad at the head of the motorcade passes by. Every one of the more than a dozen vehicles then drives past the car until the final ones, driven by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputies, makes a traffic stop.

The driver has been identified as a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, whom WISN 12 News is not identifying because he has yet to be formally charged.

According to an arrest report obtained by WISN 12 News, when the man was told by a deputy he’d “almost struck a vehicle in the VPOTUS’ motorcade, he was extremely surprised and had no recollection of entering the freeway or coming close to striking another vehicle. He also stated he did not have any intention of harming Vice President Kamala Harris or anybody related to her campaign.”

According to the report, the man failed several field sobriety tests and had an open beer can in his vehicle.

He was arrested for drunken driving and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He remained in jail Tuesday night without bail, awaiting a hearing.

The Harris campaign referred any questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service.

“The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI,” Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN 12 News.

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